Philippine President declares ‘state of lawlessness’ after blast kills 14

DAVAO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a nationwide “state of lawlessness” on Saturday after suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists detonated a bomb that

DAVAO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a nationwide “state of lawlessness” on Saturday after suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists detonated a bomb that killed 14 people and wounded about 70 in his southern hometown. Duterte, who inspected the scene of Friday night’s attack at a night market in downtown Davao city, said his declaration did not amount to an imposition of martial law. It allows troops to be deployed in urban centers to back up the police in setting up checkpoints and increasing patrols, he said. An Abu Sayyaf spokesman, Abu Rami, claimed responsibility for the blast near the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao University, but Duterte said investigators were looking at other possible suspects.

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