DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Police and military officials are looking at the international terror group ISIS and its local group Daulah Islamiyah in its role in Sunday’s bombing in Mindanao State University, but this finding raises concern from a local Moro rights advocate.
Military officials said on Monday that ISIS made a statement claiming its members set off the bombing. The information was gathered by SITE Intelligence, an online counter-terrorist group based in Maryland, USA.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said in his statement Sunday that the bombing was perpetrated by “foreign terrorists.”
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner in a press conference in Manila on Sunday said the bombing could have possibly been retaliatory attacks after troops conducted operations against DI that killed 11 of its members including its leader in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, two days prior to Sunday’s incident.
The Philippine National Police released its assessment report on Monday revealing a “person of interest” behind the bombing.
They identified Khadafi Mimbesa, a resident of Masiu, Lanao del Sur with aliases Engineer, Kadi and Akoya, as a bomb expert and sub-leader of DI Maute operating in Lanao del Sur.
Fragments of a 60mm mortar were found from the blast site, indicating it was an improvised bomb, the report said.
The PNP has activated a Special Investigation Task Group or “SITG-MSU Dimaporo Gymnasium Explosion” headed by Col. Robert Daculan, Lanao del Sur police director.
Four people were killed and 42 injured in a blast inside Dimaporo Gym in MSU on Sunday where a Catholic mass was held.
READ: Four killed, 42 injured in blast in MSU Marawi
Drieza Lininding, chair of Marawi’s Moro Consensus Group, doubts how authorities quickly claimed that ISIS and its local organizations were behind the bombing.
“Wala pa naman tayong masasabi nating thorough investigation kung sino ang nasa likod nito. They can easily point to ISIS as the main suspect, AFP chief of staff himself General Brawner sinasabi nila that this group is nanindigan na sila, so possible na ginagawa nila ito para lang makakuha ng sympathy, so for what? Lininding questioned.
(We haven’t seen a thorough investigation on who’s behind this. They can easily point to ISIS as the main suspect, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Brawner said this group has claimed it, so it is possible they committed this to gain sympathy, so, for what?)
Lininding explained that the Moro people have already gained much now that there is a Bangsamoro autonomous government addressing their concerns.
Lininding doubts the motive of the attack and likens this scenario to the Marawi siege in 2017 to divert attention from the political bickering of national leaders and a rumored destabilization plot against the current administration.
“Whatever your purpose may be, please don’t use Marawi City because we have not recovered yet from the siege of 2017,” he said on his Facebook account.
“I think these lawless armed groups, whoever they are, if ISIS or someone else behind this, will not take away the fear that they will use Marawi as another issue to destabilize the administration, or to divert the issue as it has done before,” he said.
Lininding said that people in Marawi have now resumed their activities after the bombing, but the anxiety and alarm brought by the bombing are mostly felt in other parts of Mindanao where state forces are now on heightened alert.
The Davao City Police has implemented the Oplan Davao Defense System (DDS) that imposes tighter security measures in the city’s borders and increased visibility in churches. Police units under its explosives team will also conduct “panel operations” prior to any public activity to begin.
Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim in an interview admitted there were lapses on their side to monitor security concerns, but assured that “this will not happen again” as they would strengthen more efforts in security.
The Moro leader also appealed to the public to use social media responsibly.
“So far there is a good co-existence between Christians and Muslims at MSU-Marawi. We call on everyone and the netizens not to spread hate on social media and instead help strengthen unity amid these trying times,” Murad said.
The Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) also cautioned the public against those “who will take advantage of the situation by calling for more repressive responses and policies from the government, fomenting further acts of violence, blanket and reckless condemnation based on faith or identity.”
The group of lawyers also calls for an immediate impartial investigation. (davaotoday.com)
ISIS, Marawi, MSU, philippines
