IS claims on Jolo blast need thorough vetting
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:57:59 +0000
ALMOST like clockwork, the Islamic State (IS) immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts at Jolo Cathedral on Sunday. This is a claim that cannot be taken at face value.
The IS has been reduced into an internet propaganda machine, and is now but a shadow of the once huge terrorist network that dreamed of establishing a global caliphate from captured strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
The American military, in fact, now believes the demise of the IS will come in the next few weeks.
The IS’s claim of responsibility for the Jolo blasts came by way of its Amaq online newsletter and a communiqué, and was later picked up by private security entities SITE Intelligence Group and the Long War Journal.
The details released by Amaq were doubtful, at best. The IS claims two pro-IS militants detonated explosive belts at the cathedral, timed for the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass.
Initial investigation, however, showed that an improvised explosive went off inside the cathedral at about 8 a.m., followed shortly by another blast close to the entrance. That second improvised bomb was left inside the toolbox of a parked motorcycle, according to the military.
The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, found several mobile phones on the blast site, one of which was possibly used to detonate the twin bombs.
The early conclusion was that there were no suicide bombers at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral. If there were, the Jolo blasts would be the first instance of suicide bombing — and changes the nature of terrorist strategy — in the Philippines.
No terrorist has ever used a suicide belt in the Philippines to execute a dastardly act that could be carried out by remote control. The IS also has a faulty history of claiming authorship of terrorist attacks, and Philippine incidents are no exception.
In early 2017, the same Amaq online news site published the IS claim of responsibility for the attack on the Resorts World Manila complex in Pasay City. It turned out to be a false claim; the attacker was a lone wolf, a former government employee who became deranged over mounting casino debts.
At best, the online warriors at Amaq can only claim that the Jolo blasts were the handiwork of pro-IS “sympathizers.” There is no evidence, yet, that the IS itself had provided resources and know-how to its Filipino adherents, or had even communicated with them.
According to the military, the Ajang-Ajang faction of the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group could have been responsible for the Jolo blasts, based on security footage from establishments surrounding the cathedral.
In the footage, the brother of one of the group’s leaders, who was killed by authorities last year, was said to have been spotted by investigators. If this proved true, the motive of the blast could have been revenge.
Taking the word of the IS could mislead the investigation away from the real brains behind the cathedral attack, and deprive the victims of justice. The claims of this spent force must be vetted thoroughly by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
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