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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
At least 9 killed, 20 wounded in Jolo blast
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- At least nine people are confirmed dead and 20 others wounded, many seriously, after a bomb explosion ripped through a convenience store in the southern island of Jolo Monday, an aide to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said.
Secretary Jesus Dureza, Arroyo's peace adviser, said nine people were killed, three of them still unidentified, when a homemade bomb exploded in downtown Jolo.
At least 20 others were injured and many of them are in critical condition at the Sulu Provincial Hospital.
"Based on the latest reports, at least nine people were killed, three of them are still unidentified, and 20 people are also wounded, many of them seriously," Dureza said late Monday.
Other reports put the casualty toll to more than two dozens.
The blast coincided with government operation against the Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group is tied to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, in Jolo, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.
Security officials said the blast tore through the second floor of a convenience store in downtown Jolo around 1:15 p.m. and that most of the victims were Muslims.
Jolo military chief Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo earlier said the blast appeared to be the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for the series of bombings and kidnappings in the south.
"We are still investigating who were behind the blast, but the attack had the trademark of the Abu Sayyaf," Aleo said.
He said initial military reports suggested that the bomb was made from a deadly cocktail of chemicals, possibly ammonium nitrate and shrapnel.
"It was probably ammonium nitrate, but we are still investigating the blast," he said.
Air Force Maj. Gamal Hayudini, a spokesman for the Southern Command, said troops were deployed in blast site and sealed the area as they searched for explosives, but so far found nothing. "The situation is under control and authorities have tightened security in Jolo," Hayudini said.
It was not immediately known if the blast was connected to ongoing military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf group or not.
A small group of heavily armed US military advisers stationed in Jolo island were spotted helping Filipino soldiers investigate the bombings, but no officials would like to give a statement about the extent of the Americans' involvement.
Just two weeks ago, troops captured Abu Sayyaf weapons courier Julkaram Hadjail on Jolo and security forces killed several militants in a separate clash on the island.
Security forces also recovered early this month a cache of Abu Sayyaf explosives and homemade bombs near a highway in Jolo's Indanan town where troops regularly pass.
Officials said the cache included plastic containers filled with ammonium nitrates and TNT and all rigged to electronic timers and cellular phones to trigger detonation when scavengers discovered them near a garbage dump on Kilometer 3 in the village of Tagbak. The highway links the towns of Indanan, Maimbung, and Talipao, which the military regularly use to transport troops.
Last month, one civilian was killed and more than two dozen people were wounded when a powerful bomb exploded outside a military base in Jolo island.
The blast destroyed a karaoke bar just several meters away from the base frequented by soldiers. The Abu Sayyaf also fired two rounds of rifle grenade near a military post in Jolo's Mount Karawan and killed a police officer and beheaded a civilian in the downtown area.
The Abu Sayyaf is on a US list of terrorist organizations and Washington has offered as much as $10 million bounty for the capture of the group's chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other known leaders. (Sun.Star Zamboanga/Sunnex)
(March 28, 2006 issue)
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