At least five soldiers and four civilians have been killed, and several others were wounded after a huge blast struck the southern Philippine town of Jolo, according to authorities.
Philippine Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said the explosion hit at approximately noon (04:00 GMT) on Monday in the capital of Sulu, one of the country’s southernmost provinces.
Gordon, who is also a senator, said that a motorcycle loaded with improvised explosive device went off near a military truck.
As police were cordoning off the area, a second blast hit injuring several government forces.
According to reports, at least 17 government troops were also injured.
The twin blasts happened not far from the site of a major explosion that killed more than 20 people inside a Catholic church in early 2019, according to state-run PTV channel.
Images posted by PTV on social media showed debris and bodies lying on a street next to a military vehicle.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Sulu is known as the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an armed group that has allied itself with ISIL (ISIS).
Abu Sayyaf has long been battling for independence in the southern region of Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland dating back to the pre-Spanish colonial period.
The group is notorious for kidnappings, robberies and deadly bombings.
