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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
US deplores Jolo bombing; Arroyo orders probe
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The United States deplored Tuesday the bombing in the southern island of Jolo, where at least 29 people were killed and wounded, in an attack blamed by Filipino authorities on the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
"We deplore the targeting and killing of innocent civilians. With the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we are committed to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of the Sulu region."
Colonel James Linder, commander of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Philippines, said they stand side-by-side with the Filipinos in the battle against lawlessness and terrorism in the region.
In Manila, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the military and the police on Tuesday to leave no stone unturned in finding and bringing to justice the perpetrators of Monday's bombing of a cooperative in Jolo, Sulu that killed nine persons and injured 17 others.
Arroyo "condemned in the strongest terms" the attack as she also sent her sympathies to the families of the victims and ordered government health providers in the area to prioritize the treatment of the wounded.
"I ask our people to remain calm and vigilant. Meanwhile, firm security measures are in place to contain the threat of terror and prevent its resurgence anywhere in the land. Indeed, terror never sleeps and we need to consistently carry out our comprehensive action plan to rid our country and the world of this grave threat," she said.
She also called on Congress to immediately pass the anti-terrorism bill so that the country could constrict, contain, and control the terrorism threat more effectively.
Secretary Jesus Dureza, presidential peace process adviser, had said on Monday that at least nine people were killed, three of them still unidentified, and 20 others wounded, many seriously, when a homemade bomb exploded inside the convenience store owned by a cooperative in downtown Jolo that same day.
The blast coincided with the 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 ripped through the Sulu Consumer's Cooperative Store around 1:15 p.m., and that most of the victims were Muslims.
The explosion was so powerful that it totally destroyed the facade of the building and threw debris across the street. The scene reminded locals of the television footages on the aftermath of suicide bombings in Iraq.
Jolo military chief Brigadier General 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.
It was not immediately known if the blast was connected to ongoing military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for terrorism in the Philippines.
A small group of heavily armed US military advisers stationed in Jolo island were spotted helping Filipino soldiers investigate the bombings. A photograph released by the US Embassy on Tuesday showed an American soldier helping carry a wounded blast victim.
It said no US soldiers were wounded or killed in the blast. "At least nine people died and more than 20 were injured in the attack. No US personnel were injured. The explosive device was planted on the ground floor of a building along a busy street in downtown Jolo," the embassy statement said.
Just two weeks ago, troops captured Abu Sayyaf weapons courier Julkaram Hadjail in 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 another 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 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 group chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other known leaders.
The US forces, consistent with the Mutual Defense Treaty and Visiting Forces Agreement, are in Jolo island to advise and assist the Filipino military. They also provide humanitarian and civic assistance in Jolo under the so-called Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) 2006 and Bayanihan, which means "helping hand." (Sun.Star Zamboanga/Sunnex)
(March 29, 2006 issue)
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