Philippines Calls for Calm After Grenade Attack on Mosque Claims Two Lives, Reports Reuters

By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA – Philippine authorities urged for calm on Wednesday following a grenade attack on a mosque in a predominantly Christian southern province that resulted in two fatalities, occurring just three days after a deadly bombing at a church in the troubled Mindanao region.

The grenade was launched into the mosque during the night in Zamboanga, leading to the deaths of two individuals and injuring four others. This incident drew widespread condemnation and calls for unity among both Christian and Muslim communities, which have a long-standing history of peaceful coexistence.

The grenade attack took place shortly after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suggested on television that a recent church bombing on Jolo island, which left 21 people dead, might have involved a suicide bomber.

On Wednesday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana indicated that the second explosion at the church was "probably" a suicide bombing. However, he added that it remains unclear whether the Islamic State was responsible, as the group had yet to disclose the identity of the suspected bomber.

Although the Islamic State has asserted its involvement, military officials believe that the Abu Sayyaf group, a local militant organization, may be responsible.

Lorenzana confirmed that forensic tests would be conducted to help determine whether the suspected bomber was a foreign national. If validated, this incident would mark the second known suicide attack in the Philippines in recent years, following a bombing in a van on nearby Basilan island last July that resulted in 11 casualties, also claimed by the Islamic State.

Lorenzana stated there was no connection between the church explosions and the mosque attack, supporting comments from a local task force commander indicating it was "not a retaliatory act."

The Zamboanga Ulama Council denounced the attack as "devilish, irrational and inhumane." The regional governor condemned both the church and mosque incidents, stating that attacking individuals during prayer is the "highest form of cowardice and obscenity."

Governor Mujiv Hataman emphasized the importance of unity against terrorists seeking to sow division and undermine community progress, expressing these sentiments on social media.

Muslims are a minority in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, comprising about a quarter of the population in the Mindanao region, where communal violence is relatively uncommon. The recent attacks follow a peaceful referendum on January 21 that received overwhelming support for autonomy in parts of Mindanao with predominantly Muslim populations, marking the culmination of a lengthy peace process between separatist groups and various governments.

On Monday, President Duterte instructed the military to eliminate the notorious Abu Sayyaf group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and consists of various factions with differing motives, some radical and others engaged in criminal activities.

He stated his refusal to accept their surrender, adding, "the only way to fight them is to become evil also."

The military has identified several suspects in connection with the attacks and conducted an air strike on Jolo on Tuesday against an undisclosed target.

The bombings, along with the Islamic State’s claims of involvement, could amplify concerns regarding the group’s influence in Southeast Asia and the possibility of foreign fighters exploiting the region’s lenient borders, dense jungles, and an abundance of weapons, coupled with high unemployment and low education levels among the youth.

Martial law has been in effect in Mindanao since a pro-Islamic State coalition captured Marawi City in 2017, marking the Philippines’ most intense conflict since World War II.