Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Mindanao on alert against car bombs
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- The security alert level in Mindanao was raised following reports that a series of car bombings will be conducted in major cities on the island, said Major General Agustin Demaala, chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan Tuesday.
Demaala said the whole island of Mindanao is on a heightened alert after bomb explosions struck Koronadal and Cotabato cities on Saturday.
He revealed that days before the bombings, they received raw information that the Abu Sayyaf will bomb cities like Kidapawan, Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, Digos, Cotabato, General Santos, and Koronadal.
He said the bombing is aimed at disrupting the ongoing military operation against Abu Sayyaf group, linked to international terror group al Qaeda, in Maguindanao.
"Dahil sa nangyari mas lalo naming itutuloy ang operation. Tuloy-tuloy na ito. Wala nang pipigil pa," Demaala said. (Because of what happened, we are pushing through with the operation. Nothing will stop it.)
He said they have set up additional checkpoints in all chokepoints and stepped up security measures in vital installations and malls for possible car bombings.
Authorities however belittled the capability of the Abu Sayyaf to implement car bombings as powerful and as destructive as those in other countries.
The persons behind the Koronadal bombing reportedly used a 60mm mortar and a 105 howitzer. The one that exploded was however just the fuse and not the main bomb.
A few meters away from the explosion, police found another unexploded bomb made up of two M203 round.
Colonel Alfred Cayton, chief of the Army's 601st Brigade, said cartographic sketches of at least two suspects were already released.
He denied that one of the suspects was the brother of slain Jemaah Islamiya bomb expert Fathur Roman al-Ghozi.
He said they are not discounting the possibility that the JI and the Al-Qaeda are involved in the recent bombings.
Philippine National Police chief Arturo Lomibao meanwhile said the closest group to have perpetrated the bombings were the special operations group (SOG) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf.
Lomibao clarified though that the MILF-SOG is not a part of the MILF in peace negotiations with the government. (With Peng Aliño)
(August 3, 2005 issue)
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