Bang! Two Falls, 28 Get the Pinch in a Banglades Oriental Mall.
Picture this: it’s a sunny afternoon in Cotabato, a city in the spread‑wide south of the Philippines. People are strolling into a local mall, grabbing snacks, checking out a new mobile phone. Suddenly — BOOM! A crude bomb trips over a threshold, kicking up dust, echoing a chilling threat from an infamous foreign extremist network.
Who’s at the Helm?
Major General Cirilito Sobejana, the tough-as-nails commander of the army’s division, spilled the beans to Reuters. He says the detonation had a “Daesh‑inspired signature” (we’re talking Islamic State under a different name). That little nickname rings louder than a kid’s game of clap‑clack, but for him it means something serious.
What Went Down
- Two unfortunate souls lost their lives.
- Twenty‑eight others wound up on emergency ward lists.
- The blast hit the mall’s entrance in the middle of the day.
- Authorities found a second bomb half‑hidden in the same area.
General Sobejana hints the shouts from the air might be a snide retort. Earlier, government troops had pulled off a raid that killed seven members of a lean, seemingly low‑profile militant group that has shouted allegiance to the wider, international “Islamic State.” The rebels’ quick “thank‑you” might be their way of saying, “You didn’t scare us. Try again.”
Why the South Is the Unlikely Battleground
While the bulk of the Philippines leans toward Christianity, a frontier region in the south co‑exists with a patchwork of religious communities. Some of these margins have ties—whether direct or indirect—to well-known global factions like al Qaeda or the Islamic State. The goal? Rogue jet‑packagers who think a roadside explosion is the ultimate power play.
Bottom Line
They’re saying, “Be careful.” And the nation—wrap them in their palm of a can (but careful not to use the same name), the big enemy? A dangerous mix of local insurgents and foreign terror thrills. The government’s task: keep the crowds safe as they scuffle with the rebels on this high‑stakes, adrenaline‑packed stake‑out.
