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The authorities have been eyeing a group linked to the terrorist Abu Sayyaf as the one behind the deadly blasts in a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday morning.

In a statement, military's Western Mindanao Command said that based on the CCTV footage recovered by the authorities, "the Ajang-Ajang group perpetrated the said bombing incident."

Ajang-Ajang Group, like the Abu Sayyaf, is known for kidnapping activities and beheading its captives if their relatives fail to pay ransom.

Westmincom said that as of 6pm, 18 injured victims, including 15 civilians, two coast guards, and one soldier, were evacuated from Sulu to Zamboanga City through air ambulance.

The 18 were among those 82 individuals who were injured when two improvised explosive devices went off inside the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral and at its parking lot in Barangay Walled City, Jolo at around 8:15am Sunday.

At least 18 people were killed in the incident. Celerina Monte/DMS