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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Car bomb near town hall disarmed
By Nelson C. Bagaforo and Ben Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Police found an abandoned car packed with explosives in Surallah town in South Cotabato on Wednesday, in the wake of intelligence reports of a possible terror attack in Mindanao.
The car, parked on the roadside near the town hall and the crowded public market, was loaded with at least 10 mortar rounds wired together with four kilograms of nails.
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Bomb experts were able to defuse the explosives, which were set to be detonated remotely, police said.
The bombs, similar to the type used by Muslim militant groups in the past, were among the most powerful explosives discovered by authorities in recent years in the central region of Mindanao.
The US Embassy had warned Americans to stay away from the region due to possible terror attacks. After the explosives' discovery, South Cotabato police forces were placed on full alert to thwart other possible attacks, police said.
The car had been parked near Surallah's town hall in a busy downtown area, where the lethal bombs could have caused maximum damage, officials said.
South Cotabato Provincial Police Director Robert Kiunisala said they received word of a possible attack by al Qaeda-linked militants involving car explosives in South Cotabato and outlying provinces, prompting them to set up checkpoints and intensify patrols.
The car type and plate number mentioned in an intelligence report matched those of the car found in Surallah, he said.
"The target of the bomb attack is either Koronadal, Tacurong, or General Santos," Kiunisala said, citing intelligence reports.
A predominantly Christian farming town of about 66,000 people, Surallah may have also been a target because it was celebrating its founding anniversary, he said.
Surallah is about 35 kilometers from Koronadal, the seat of government of Central Mindanao.
He said the bombers might have been forced to abandon the vehicle after the military and police conducted checkpoints in national highways leading to the cities of Koronadal, Tacurong, and General Santos.
The black Toyota Corolla 1983 model, on the watch list of vehicles to be used in the attacks, was traced to Emiliano Rellos of Bonifacio Street, Kabayanan, San Juan, Metro Manila. It was registered with the Land Transportation Office only in January 2007.
Police and army experts, backed by a US Navy ordnance team, defused the explosives, which consisted of 10 mortar rounds, recoilless rifle ammunition, and TNT powder. The explosives were loaded in the car and not rigged to the vehicle, as in actual car bombs, Kiunisala said.
"If the car exploded, it could destroy (lives and properties) within a 500-meter radius," one of the US personnel who declined to give his name said.
Police and the military suspected al Qaeda-linked militants were behind the plot because of the lethal intent of the explosives, although an investigation was still under way.
"They're our usual suspects because of the powerful makeup of this bomb and the apparent intent to detonate it a crowded area," Kiunisala said. "They seem to be happier when they inflict more casualties."
Nasser Pendatun, South Cotabato police deputy provincial director, said the explosives could have the magnitude of the explosion that rocked Bali, Indonesia a few years ago killing some 200 mostly foreign tourists.
But in a telephone interview, Eastern Mindanao Command Spokesman Randolph Cabangbang clarified the bomb found inside the car was not powerful enough to cause major damage compared to the car bombs used by terrorists in other countries.
He said the car, in a way, would help contain the extent of damage once the bomb inside it explodes. "We prefer calling them VBIED or vehicle borne improvised explosive device," Cabangbang said.
Kiunisala said bomb-sniffing dogs confirmed the presence of explosives inside the car, prompting security personnel to close off a 400-meter stretch of road.
Onlookers watched as authorities defused the explosives and broke into cheers when the area was declared safe.
South Cotabato, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, has suffered deadly bomb attacks blamed on al Qaeda-linked militants in the past.
The US has provided the Philippine military with counter-terrorism training since 2002 and is currently backing an offensive against Islamic militants - the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah - in the country's south. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex/With AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (June 14, 2007 issue)
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