At least 10 people were killed in a powerful car bombing in the southern Philippines that officials linked to a pro-Islamic State group that tried to carve out a slice of territory in the south of the country last year. Military officials said the attack early Tuesday at a checkpoint on the southern island of Basilan appeared to be the work of the Abu Sayyaf group. The militant cell has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and helped plan the capture of the city of Marawi in a bid to create an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia. Philippine forces eventually forced out the militants in a battle that claimed more than a thousand lives, scattering the rebels. Tuesday’s attack signals they are beginning to regroup, security analysts said. Military officials are also trying to confirm whether it was a suicide mission, which counterterrorism experts said would be a significant step in a decades-old conflict. Unlike jihadists in the Middle East and elsewhere, guerrillas in the Philippines have shown a reluctance to take their own lives in pursuit of their objectives. Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research in Manila, said a suicide attack would be a “watershed event” for Basilan. Officials said they were told by witnesses that the driver of the vehicle appeared to be foreign and couldn’t speak the local language. The van exploded as it was being inspected by militia members, killing one soldier, five militia members and four civilians. Philippine military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said officials hadn’t determined the driver’s identity and motives. He said the military had received reports that Abu Sayyaf was attempting to deliver explosives into Basilan and as a result set up several checkpoints with local militia, such as the one attacked Tuesday. He said the van had been filled with improvised explosives, without elaborating, and called the bombing a “desperate move to disrupt the mass surrender of Abu Sayyaf” in the area. Islamic State’s media arm, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the attack and called it a suicide bombing. The bombing comes as President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing to grant southern separatists greater political autonomy for Muslim-majority areas on the main southern island of Mindanao, a move that has led some of the region’s armed separatist groups to aid the government in hunting down Islamic extremists such as Abu Sayyaf. At the same time, a U.S.-supported military operation against the region’s extremists has been bearing fruit, with several groups of fighters including middle-ranking leaders surrendering in recent weeks. Some counterterrorism experts said Tuesday’s attack showed that militant groups in the Philippines continued to pose a threat. “At this point it is clear that even with Mindanao under martial law, the Abu Sayyaf Group remains capable of launching attacks,” said Joseph Franco, a counterterrorism expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “Killing Abu Sayyaf group members is not enough if the community remains adversarial to the state,” he said. Write to Jake Maxwell Watts at jake.watts@wsj.com and Ben Otto at ben.otto@wsj.com<doc-sep>MANILA — Militants detonated a car bomb at a military checkpoint on Tuesday in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, killing at least 10 people in a brazen attack that underscored the continuing insurgent threat in the southern part of the country. The attack happened as troops flagged down a van at a roadblock heading into Lamitan City. When the driver failed to answer questions, he apparently detonated the explosive, the military said. The blast instantly killed a soldier, three pro-government militiamen and several civilians, the military said. Nine others, including five soldiers, were injured. Lt. Col. Mon Aldomovar, commander of the Third Scout Ranger Battalion in the area, said he suspected that the militant group Abu Sayyaf was behind the bombing.<doc-sep>At least six people have died after a car bomb exploded in Basilan top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. According to the first report released by the police, ten were killed in the blast in Sitio Maganda. Among those killed there were a woman and a ten-year-old child, four members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) and the driver of the vehicle where the bomb was placed. Mr Saliman claimed the explosion occurred at 5.50am local time (10.50pm BST) in a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) detachment, which is run by members of military and civilians. It obliterated the vehicle and left a huge crater and fatalities were torn to pieces, as were farm animals nearby. Among the severely injured, there are five scout rangers, including a young lieutenant. They have all been moved to a military hospital, Camp Navarro, in Zamboanga City. The Basilan Governor claimed he has received reports Abu Sayyaf, a jihadist militant and pirate group, was behind the incident. In an interview with CNN, Mr Saliman said that if confirmed, this would be the biggest harm done to Basilan by the terror organisation. Shocking images depict Philippines' war on drugs Mon, March 20, 2017 Warning: Graphic content. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a war on crime and drugs after winning the presidential elections on May 9, 2016. Several thousands of people have been killed since his inauguration Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 12 Inmates watch as drug suspects are processed inside a police station on October 12, 2016 in Manila, Philippines When asked if anything similar happened in the province, the Governor said: "There were before, but for more than a year the situation in Basilan was going so well." The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman claimed the suspect "detonated the bomb sensing danger he will be captured”. The police and the Armed Forces are conducting an investigation. However, local media reported the incident as the first case of suicide bombers in Lamitan. Shocking aftermath of bomb blast in the Philippines<doc-sep>
The Philippine Armed Forces and police have launched an investigation into a car bomb explosion in Basilan, an island province in the southern part of the country. Among those killed there reportedly were a woman and a child, four members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and the driver of the car where the bomb was installed. According to Philippines Armed Forces spokesman Edgard Arevalo, the explosion killed 11 people — one soldier, five government militiamen, four relatives of CAFGU members and a van driver. Other were wounded, however, the exact number of casualties remained unclear. The powerful blast reportedly occurred moments after local troops stopped the vehicle at a military checkpoint and spoke to the driver. Basilan Governor Jim Saliman told local media outlets that the explosion occurred in a CAFGU detachment, which is run by members of military and civilians. Saliman said that the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group was allegedly behind the incident. The Basilan province is reportedly a known stronghold of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the Daesh terrorists. Local police and the Armed Forces have launched an investigation into the incident, local media outlets reported. READ MORE: Philippine City Mayor Known for Drug Suspects' Walks of Shame Shot Dead (VIDEO) The Basilan province is reportedly a no-go area for most local citizens because of the penetration of Abu Sayyaf extremists and fierce military offensives against its fighters, Reuters reported. Abu Sayyaf is also reportedly infamous for taking local fishermen and crews from commercial ships as hostages and beheading Western captives for whom ransom is not paid. In February, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled to prolong the martial law in the southern Mindanao island, where terrorists seized the city of Marawi last year and controlled it within several months, until the end of 2018. Earlier, country's President Rodrigo Duterte said that the Philippines may introduce the nationwide martial law amid the high terror threat. The martial law was initially declared in Mindanao last year after the outbreak of the conflict between the Philippines' security forces and extremists reportedly affiliated with the Daesh terrorist group, which resulted in the fall of Marawi. In October, Duterte declared Marawi fully liberated from the terrorists. The crisis resulted in thousands killed and injured and left much of Marawi ruined.