National police spokesman Agrimero Cruz says nobody was injured in the powerful explosion that brought down a bridge used by government forces and villagers late Saturday in a village in mountainous Patikul town on Jolo island.
The militants have bombed a number of bridges on Jolo to derail military offensives and government responses to terrorist attacks.
Cruz said Sunday that the remote-controlled bomb consisted of an unspecified type of explosives attached to a wrist watch.
US-backed Philippine offensives have weakened the Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings, but the group remains a key security threat.
Short link: