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Tuesday, June 05, 2007
US advisory warns v. travel in North Cotabato
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- The United States government has once again warned its citizens to exercise extreme caution while in Central Mindanao, saying that terror threats still abound.
The US embassy in the Philippines issued a warning that terrorists may be planning to stage bomb attacks in the town of Makilala and city of Kidapawan in North Cotabato. The possible targets of the terror attacks are bus terminals and public markets, it added.
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Following the issuance of the advisory, troops defused a powerful bomb found in a packed bus in Southern Maguindanao's Talitay town, regional Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando said Monday.
The bomb - black powder stuffed in a pitcher with steel fragments for deadlier effect - was hidden in a backpack on a bus where it was hastily abandoned by two men late Sunday.
Panicking passengers grabbed the bag and hurled it outside the bus. Police and army experts later defused the bomb, which was attached to a timer and batteries but was not yet set to explode, Ando said.
A police investigation was under way to determine whether the foiled bombing was planned by al Qaeda-linked militants, or tied to lingering political wrangling following the May 14 congressional and local elections, he said.
The volatile Maguindanao region, where Muslim guerrillas and political warlords hold sway, was hit by bombings and gun attacks because of intense political rivalries during the balloting.
"It's hard to pinpoint who left that bomb in the bus," Ando told The Associated Press by telephone. "We had our share of bombings, killings and gun strafing in the recent elections. It's impossible not to have those in elections here."
Talitay is about 100 kilometers from the towns of Kidapawan and Makilala in North Cotabato Province, where the US embassy warned over the weekend that terrorists may set off bombs in bus terminals and public markets in the next several days.
The US embassy, in its advisory, said the attacks might take place in the next several days, and it advised US citizens to exercise extreme caution in Central Mindanao.
The newest travel advisory came in the midst of a terror plot on New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport.
"US citizens living and working in central Mindanao are urged to reassess their personal security and to keep a low profile, and should avoid public gathering places," the US Embassy said.
Public gathering places might be targets of terrorists as they are considered soft targets but with high impact since several people will be victimized.
The US embassy said in previous warnings that the terrorists might seek soft targets since all vital installations are well secured.
In a statement, the Philippine military's Eastern Mindanao Command said the US travel advisory is a common thing and does not necessarily reflect the real situation in the area.
"Foreign embassies are duty bound to issue security bulletins to their countrymen visiting the Philippines. These are warnings anyway and not a depiction of the general security situation of our area. By and large, our area is still safe and secured especially for tourists," said command spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang.
The latest US advisory came after about seven people were killed and 44 wounded in bomb blasts in Kidapawan and two other southern towns in early January. In October, eight were killed and 22 wounded in an explosion in Makilala.
Authorities blamed Muslim guerrillas with links to the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah network, whose operatives are believed to be training Filipino insurgents in bomb making.
Washington has provided money, equipment, and military advisers to help Philippine troops battle the militants. (Sun.Star Davao/Bong Garcia/AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (June 5, 2007 issue)
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