1 killed in foiled suicide bombing attempt in southern Philippines

One was killed in a foiled suicide bombing attempt in Indanan town in Sulu province in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the military said.

Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Mindanao Command, said an "unknown terrorist" attempted to attack a military detachment in Kajatian village in Indanan around 5:45 p.m. in the day.

Sobejana said the troops manning the camp shouted at the bomber and tried to stop the terrorist from approaching the entrance gate of the detachment when the explosive suddenly went off.

"The bomber was the lone fatality," Sobejana said in a statement, adding no military or civilians were killed or injured in the incident.

"Recovered from the blast site was one manual fuse igniter believed to be from the suicide bomber," Sobejana said.

"The scene of the crime has been secured and preserved while (police) investigation is ongoing as of this report."

Sobejana called on the people of Sulu to remain vigilant and to report suspicious items and personalities to authorities.

"We assure the public that the (military) forces shall sustain our security and peace efforts to prevent hostile acts that may disrupt the peace and development in the Bangsamoro region," he said.

Major General Corleto Vinluan, the commander of a military task force in Sulu, lauded the military personnel of the detachment for thwarting the attack.

"The suicide bombing could have caused tremendous casualties if it was not properly addressed by our soldier," Vinluan said.

Sunday's suicide bombing is the fourth recorded in the southern Philippines.

The first was in July 2018 near a military detachment in Lamitan City in Basilan. The military said a Moroccan was behind the attack that killed 11, including the bomber, injured several others.

The second suicide bombing attack happened in January this year. At least 27 people were killed and many more injured as a result of the bomb attacks at a Roman Catholic cathedral on the remote Jolo Island in Sulu province.

The third suicide bombing happened in June this year when two suspected male suicide bombers on motorcycles targeted a military camp in Indanan town in the southern Philippines' Sulu province, killing at least seven people, including soldiers.