At least two people have died and 21 were wounded in an explosion Monday at a shopping mall in Cotabato city, in Mindanao island, in the southern Philippines.

The explosive was hidden in a box, and detonated at one of the entrances to the Southsea Mall, military sources told Philippines broadcaster. </s> (CNN) At least two people were killed in an explosion outside a busy shopping mall in the southern Philippines Monday.

Cotabato City Police spokesman Christopher Lee told CNN there was a suspected "IED explosion" outside the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City on the island of Mindanao.

Another 34 people were injured in the blast, three of whom were in critical condition, local police spokesman Chief Inspector Rowell Zafra said.

Zafra added that a second, smaller improvised explosive device was discovered in the second-floor baggage area of the mall, and was detonated safely by authorities.

A lockdown that was put in place for the city after the bomb exploded has since been lifted, but additional troops have been deployed across Cotabato in a push to increase security.

Read More </s> COTABATO, Philippines — A Philippine general says at least two people were killed and 21 others wounded when a bomb believed to be detonated remotely by suspected Muslim militants exploded near the entrance of a mall in the country's south.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana says the bomb went off Monday near the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city as people made last-minute preparations ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby.

Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. </s> Local media reports that an identified male was seen dropping a box outside the busy South Seas Mall shopping centre in the city, which is located in the Philippines' southern region of Mindanao. A spokesman for the Cotabato Philippine National Police (PNP) service, Senior Inspector Roel Zafra, said the explosion took place at 1.50pm local time on Magnalles Street. The explosion has rocked the city as it prepares for its New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Two people have been pronounced dead, while another 32 injured people were rushed to a variety of hospitals, including the Cotabato Medical Specialist Hospital, Maternity Hospital and Cotabato Medical Center Hospital. Inspector Zafra said initial investigations have revealed that an unidentified male dropped a wrapped box in the area. Local reports state that seconds later, the box exploded. The PNP said the type of explosive is yet to be determined but that it was dropped in the mall’s baggage area.

According to the Philippines News Agency (PNA), police are trying to determine "if the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device or illegal powerful firecrackers that accidentally went off in the area." Police Superintendent Romeo Galgo Jr. told PNA: "We saw several people wounded and being rushed to the hospital. "We are still conducting a post-blast investigation." Cotabato City Police Officer-In-Charge Senior Superintendent Rolly Octavio said the motive behind the explosion was still being investigated.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and the Explosive Ordnance Division are still conducting investigations in the area. Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Cotabato Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi called the blast an "act against humanity." The Mayor said: "I strongly condemn the bombing incident that happened in front of South Seas Mall today, a day before the New Year, the took away several innocent lives and injured dozen others," she wrote. "This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. </s> COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing…

COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing at least two and wounding nearly 30, officials said.

The bomb went off near a baggage counter at the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city, wounding shoppers, vendors and commuters. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in the city, military and police officials said.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Government forces launched an offensive against the militants belonging to a group called Daulah Islamiyah last week and at least seven of the militants died in the fighting, Sobejana said.

“This is a part of the retaliation, but the problem is they’re victimizing innocent civilians,” he told reporters.

Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr., the deputy police director of Cotabato, said witnesses saw a man leave a box in a crowded area near the mall’s entrance where vendors and shoppers were milling. The explosion shattered glass panels and scattered debris to the street fronting the mall.

Two of the roughly 30 people hit by the blast died while being brought to a hospital, Sobejana said.

Cotabato Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi condemned the bombing and called on residents to help fight terrorism.

“This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. I cannot fathom how such evil exists in this time of merry making,” she said.

“It is unimaginable how some people can start the new year with an act of cruelty but no matter how you threaten us, the people of Cotabato are resilient. … We will stand up against terrorism,” she told reporters.

The bombing, the latest in a number of attacks blamed on militants in the volatile region, occurred despite on-and-off military assaults against pockets of militant groups operating in the marshlands and hinterlands not far from Cotabato and outlying provinces.

Hundreds of militants aligned with the Islamic State group laid siege in the southern Islamic city of Marawi in May last year, sparking five months of intense fighting and military airstrikes that left more than 1,100 mostly militants dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed the southern third of the country under martial law to deal with the Marawi siege, the worst security crisis he has faced since taking office in mid-2016.

The militants are opposed to a Muslim autonomy deal signed by the biggest Muslim rebel group and the government. There are concerns that radical groups may carry out bombings and other attacks to derail a Jan. 21 regional plebiscite aimed at obtaining public approval of a new law establishing a more powerful Muslim autonomous region in the south.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations, killing at least two and wounding nearly 30, officials said.

The bomb went off near the baggage counter at the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city, wounding shoppers, vendors and commuters. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in the city, military and police officials said.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Government forces launched an offensive against the militants belonging to a group called Daulah Islamiyah last week and at least seven of the militants died in the fighting, Sobejana said.

"This is a part of the retaliation, but the problem is they're victimizing innocent civilians," he told reporters.

Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr., the deputy police director of Cotabato, said witnesses saw a man leave a box in a crowded area near the mall's entrance where vendors and shoppers were milling. The explosion shattered glass panels and scattered debris to the street fronting the mall.

Two of the roughly 30 people hit by the blast died while being brought to a hospital, Sobejana said.

Cotabato Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi condemned the bombing and called on residents to help fight terrorism.

"This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. I cannot fathom how such evil exists in this time of merry making," she said.

"It is unimaginable how some people can start the new year with an act of cruelty but no matter how you threaten us, the people of Cotabato are resilient. ... We will stand up against terrorism," she told reporters.

The bombing, the latest in a number of attacks blamed on militants in the volatile region, occurred despite on-and-off military assaults against pockets of militant groups operating in the marshlands and hinterlands not far from Cotabato and outlying provinces.

Hundreds of militants aligned with the Islamic State group laid siege in the southern Islamic city of Marawi in May last year, sparking five months of intense fighting and military airstrikes that left more than 1,100 mostly militants dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed the southern third of the country under martial law to deal with the Marawi siege, the worst security crisis he has faced since taking office in mid-2016. </s> COTABATO: A bomb ripped through an internet cafe in the southern Philippines on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 15 in the second deadly blast to strike the same city in days, authorities said.

The explosion in Isulan was a short distance from where an improvised bomb under a motorcycle blew up on August 28, killing three and wounding dozens. These attacks are the latest violence in the south of the majority Catholic archipelago, where Islamist militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s bombing, but authorities’ suspicion immediately fell on the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

“It is the BIFF who is responsible,” Army General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP. “This group is out to sow chaos.” The mayor’s office of Isulan and the military said one person was killed in the bombing and 15 were wounded, four of whom were in critical condition.

The recent blasts follow President Rodrigo Duterte’s government enacting a law to create greater autonomy for the Muslim minority in the south which is hoped to help end the conflict. </s> PNP Cotabato Spokesperson Senior Inspector Roel Zafra says the explosion occured outside the South Seas Mall complex after an unidentified male person dropped a wrapped box

MANILA, Philippines – A deadly explosion rocked a mall in Cotabato City and injured 11 people, some of whom were children, as residents were set to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Monday, December 31.

In a text message to Rappler, Philippine National Police (PNP) Cotabato Spokesperson Senior Inspector Roel Zafra said the explosion occurred at about 1:49 pm along Magallanes St outside the South Seas Mall complex.

Of the 11 injured, 8 were identified as Bai Sandra Ayunan, 16; Kutin Sedik, 65; Hamida Solaiman, 21; Joey Api, 31; Aida Dalandag, 58; Marissa Torres, 49; Tarhata Biruar, 43; and Norlyn Biruar, 4.

Zafra said initial investigations revealed that an unidentified male dropped a wrapped box in the area. Seconds later, reports said the box exploded.

In an initial police report, the PNP said the type of explosive is yet to be determined but that it was dropped in the mall’s baggage area.

Cotabato city police Officer-In-Charge Senior Superintendent Rolly Octavio also said the motive behind the explosion was still being investigated.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and the Explosive Ordnance Division were still processing the area. – Rappler.com </s> COTABATO, Philippines: A bomb ripped through an internet cafe in the southern Philippines on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 15 in the second deadly blast to strike the same city in days, authorities said.

The explosion in Isulan was a short distance from where an improvised bomb under a motorcycle blew up on August 28, killing three and wounding dozens.

These attacks are the latest violence in the south of the majority Catholic archipelago, where militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s bombing, but authorities’ suspicion immediately fell on the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). "It is the BIFF who is responsible," Army General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP. "This group is out to sow chaos."
A bomb explosion outside a busy shopping mall in the city of Cotabato, Philippines, kills 2 people and injures 34 others.