Jolo

Philippines rescues British couple from jihadists

Philippine soldiers on Monday rescued a British man and his wife from Islamic State-linked jihadists nearly two months after the couple were kidnapped from their beach resort in the nation's south, authorities said.Troops recovered the pair after a firefight with gunmen from the Abu Sayyaf group on the restive southern island of Jolo, which is a stronghold of the kidnap-for-ransom gang that has been behind some of the worst attacks in the Philippines."There was a brief exchange of f

26 November 2019
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Philippine suicide attacks under IS influence

A number of apparent suicide bombings in the Philippines over the past 12 months are a worrying escalation of militancy driven by the influence of the Islamic State (IS) in Southeast Asia, security experts say. A decades-old Islamist insurgency in the southern Philippines has killed tens of thousands.But suicide attacks have been used extremely rarely, with foreign fighters blamed for the few that have been carried out.Authorities now fear however the most recent suspected suicide at

3 July 2019
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Deadly bombing in south Philippines

Five people including three soldiers were killed on Friday in a bombing targeting an elite army unit in the Philippines's restive south, which the Islamic State (IS) claimed was a suicide attack, authorities and experts said.The military said the kidnap-for-ransom group and IS-affiliate Abu Sayyaf was likely behind the midday blast on the island of Jolo, which also left nine other soldiers wounded.IS claimed the bombing was the work of two suicide attackers, according to tweets from Rita

30 June 2019
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Islamist militants behind Philippine bombing

Investigators probing the Catholic cathedral bombing that killed 21 people in the Philippines' restive south said Monday a group tied to notorious Islamists Abu Sayyaf is the prime suspect.Two explosions tore through the cathedral on the Muslim-majority island of Jolo, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.Authorities said the so-called Ajang-Ajang faction is a small band of several dozen that most likely carried out the bo

29 January 2019
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Deadly twin bomb attacks on Philippine church

At least 18 people were killed Sunday when a double bomb attack hit a Catholic church on a southern Philippine island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants, the military said, days after voters backed expanded Muslim self-rule in the region.In an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, a powerful first blast shattered pews, broke windows and left bodies strewn inside the cathedral in the Catholic-majority nation's restive south as mass was being celebrated.Moments later a se

28 January 2019
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