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Sunday, January 01, 2006
2 killed, 13 wounded in grenade attack
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Two men riding a motorcycle hurled two grenades into a packed billiard hall in a southern Philippine town, killing two people and wounding 13 others in an attack believed to have been set off by a gambling feud, police said Saturday.
Police haven't identified the attackers who lobbed the grenades Friday into the roadside billiard hall that was filled with as many as 30 people in Pikit town in North Cotabato province, investigator Rudy Milagrosa said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but an initial investigation showed it might have been triggered by a conflict between two groups of bettors over a billiards game, Milagrosa said.
Army 6th Infantry Division chief, Major General Agustin Dema-ala, said a clan war could also be the motive for the attack, noting that rivalries between families oftentimes result in violent confrontations.
"The two victims, a Muslim and a Christian, died in hospital from serious wounds," he said Saturday.
The fatalities were identified as Gary Sahidsahid and Buka Limpanga.
Those hurt were identified as Jeremiah Manon-og, John Carlos Manon-og, Mario Sahidsahid, Eddie Sahidsahid, Norma Buscato, and Jan Irish Buscato.
Others were only identified by the surnames Tabada Jr., Manoyak, Alconera, Bangcot, Caballero, and Velos. All have since been taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Police and military launched a joint manhunt operation to capture the suspects. There was no indication that Muslim separatist guerrillas, who maintain strongholds near Pikit, were involved in the attack, Milagrosa said.
Separatist Muslim rebels were also helping authorities track down the two still unidentified men.
"Our forces are tracking the attackers and we will arrest them and bring justice to the victims," Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said.
Pikit, an impoverished Muslim-majority farming town of about 15,000 people, lies about 910 kilometers (564 miles) south of Manila.
Abu Sayyaf militants, tied to the al-Qaeda terror network, previously bombed the province.
Aside from the Abu Sayyaf, communist insurgents are also active in the area, and had attacked government and military targets in the past.
Last month, New People's Army insurgents detonated a landmine in North Cotabato's Tulunan town, killing three soldiers and wounding about a dozen more. (Al Jacinto)
(January 1, 2006 issue)
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