There was no immediate claim of duty for the attacks, however the army blamed a militant Abu Sayyaf commander, Mundi Sawadjaan, who has been linked to the suicide bombings in recent years in Sulu.
Military officials said last week that Sawadjaan had planned bombings in Sulu, two female suicide bombers. Army troops were conducting a covert operation to locate and capture Sawadjaan and suicide bombers in June, when four army members were arrested at a Jolo police checkpoint and then shot dead. through a police organization.
The army angrily described the killings as an erasure and demanded that homicide fees be imposed on nine police officers. However, police officers say it would possibly have been a misrepresentation between the army and the police.
The army has been waging an offensive against Abu Sayyaf for years, a small violent organization listed in the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for bombings, rescue hijackings and beheadings.
The number of its armed fighters has been reduced to a few hundred in recent years due to setbacks and surrenders in combat, a key commander, Abduljihad Susukan, who ceded to the government two weeks ago after being wounded in combat.
Susukan has been charged with kidnapping and beheading hostages, as well as foreign tourists. He reportedly surrendered through a Muslim leader who signed a peace agreement and cooperated with the government.
Military officers said they did not rule out the option that Monday’s attacks were organized in retaliation for the arrest of Susukan, who is now in custody and faces murder and kidnapping charges.