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Saturday, December 27, 2003
Bomb explodes in Jolo, killing soldier
ZAMBOANGA -- A homemade bomb exploded as it was being disarmed outside an airport in Jolo Friday, killing a soldier and wounding another, the military said.
Civilians found the improvised explosive device concealed in a cardboard box that was left near a perimeter fence of the Jolo airport. Troops were alerted and tried to disarm it, but the bomb exploded, killing one.
A second bomb was found on a roadside also near the airport but it was safely detonated.
"The powerful blast killed the soldier instantly and another soldier was injured and we still don't know who's behind this latest act of terrorism," said Colonel Fredesvindo Covarrias, commander of the army's civil relations group in the south.
"Civilians informed the military about the bomb after they saw electrical wires protruding from the box," he said.
Authorities have yet to determine who was behind the bomb attack, but Jolo is a stronghold of the Muslim Abu Sayyaf group, considered by the governments of the United States and Philippines as a foreign terrorist organization.
The explosion came as authorities across the country were placed on high alert to thwart possible attacks on vital installations during the holidays.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the spate of kidnappings and bombings in southern Philippines in recent years.
Officials earlier warned of retaliatory attacks in the south after one of its leaders, Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot, was wounded and captured earlier this month by troops in Jolo.
Andang is under tight guard at a military hospital in suburban Quezon, which is north of Manila, where he is recuperating from his injuries. AFP
(December 27, 2003 issue)
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