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Sunday, December 28, 2003
Jolo blast linked to Robot's capture
COTABATO CITY -- The powerful blast in Jolo, Sulu Friday that killed an Army bomb expert was the Abu Sayaff's retaliation to the capture of their leader Galib Andang, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) police said.
Chief Inspector Danilo Bacas, Armm police spokesman, said their investigation has pointed to followers of Andang, alias Commander Robot, as the culprits in the latest bomb attack.
On Friday, M/Sgt. Nestor Escobido, of the Army's 104th Infantry Brigade- Explosive Ordnance and Detection Unit, was killed when a homemade bomb he was trying to defuse went off. The bomb was placed in front of the town's Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) office.
Seriously injured in the incident was Escobido's assistant, identified only as Sergeant Tagulera.
Witnesses said an incendiary type of bomb was left by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits along the busy section of the DPWH building on Friday afternoon.
"This could be a handiwork of the ASG to avenge the arrest of Commander Robot," Bacas stressed.
Robot, 36, was captured wounded in Barangay Panabuan, Indanan, Sulu on Dec. 14, following a gun battle with pursuing government troopers in the area.
Isolated
President Arroyo, in a statement, said the explosion in Jolo is an isolated incident and the public must not be unduly alarmed.
"I commend the military and police and the civilian community for working together in the discovery of this bomb plot," Arroyo said.
"We will track down the perpetrators of this foiled bombing and step up our security measures nationwide," she said as she commended the military, police and civilian community for the discovery of the bomb plot.
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.
"Civilians informed the military about the bomb after they saw electrical wires protruding from the box," the military said.
"With this," Bacas said, "the Armm police have intensified forces in the province of Sulu to prevent a repetition of Friday's attack that brought renewed fears among local residents."
This developed as authorities beefed up security in same province following threats of attacks by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group during the New Year's Day celebration.
Bacas claimed that JI operatives have also penetrated the Sulu area following recent reports of JI presence in Maguindanao and Lanao provinces.
"We have dispatched plainclothesmen to track down these terrorists who are the biggest threats to the region's security," Bacas said.
The JI, linked to the Al-Qaeda network of Osama Bin Laden, is behind the 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia that killed more than 200 people.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said Saturday the government has scored heavily in the fight against the terrorist Abu Sayyaf band since Arroyo's term started in 2001.
There were more than 1,000 members of the Abu Sayyaf in 2001 but they have been reduced to less that 400, Golez said.
Many of their leaders have either been captured or killed, Golez said, citing Mujib Susukan, Kumander Global, Edris, and recently, Ghalib Andang, alias Kumander Robot.
Khadaffy Janjalani, reportedly the leader of the Basilan faction of the Abu Sayyaf, is constantly on the run. With government troops hot on his heels, Golez holds high hopes Janjalani will be captured soon.
Golez said even US President George Bush and his counter-terrorism ambassador have praised the country's efforts versus terrorism as a model of success in the region.
(December 28, 2003 issue)
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