Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Two deadly blasts on Monday in the southern Philippines killed 15 people and injured at least 75 others, local authorities say.
The two explosions that occurred about an hour apart took place in an area not far from a Roman Catholic church in the town of Jolo, where a bombing killed more than 20 people in January 2019, the Inquirer reported Tuesday.
The dual attacks involved two female suicide bombers affiliated with the militants of Abu Sayyaf, according to Philippine authorities. Abu Sayyaf is a known terrorist group recognized by the U.S. State Department, and affiliates itself with the Islamic State. The group previously associated itself with al-Qaida, the military group headed by Osama bin Laden, who was killed by a U.S. special operations unit in 2011.
One of the women was an Indonesian national and wife of the first known Filipino suicide bomber, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commanding general of the army said, according to ABS-CBN. Local reports also said one of the attackers was the daughter of an Indonesian couple behind the Catholic church bombing, according to Al Jazeera on Tuesday. It is unclear whether both suspects are Indonesian, or the descriptions were referring to only one of the two suspects.
"We suspect [one] female bomber was the daughter of the suicide bomber who perpetrated the Jolo cathedral bombing last year," said Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, according to the Inquirer.
Suicide bombings remain relatively rare in the Philippines, with at least six suicide bombings in the past three years in the country, Al Jazeera reported.
By Tuesday "Islamic State militants" had claimed responsibility for the explosions, according to the Inquirer, citing confirmation from U.S.-based group SITE Intelligence.
According to SITE, IS supporters were "rejoicing over the casualties as a result of the bombings."
Civilians, soldiers and police officers were all affected by the bombings. At least 21 soldiers were injured, reports say.
The State Department continues to advise against travel in the Sulu Archipelago due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping.
Abu Sayyaf has demanded independence for the southern island of Mindanao.
