Business Mirror
| Written by Bong Garcia Jr. / Correspondent |
| Tuesday, 22 December 2009 21:50 |
ZAMBOANGA CITY—Government forces are pursuing a group of rebels who are believed to be behind the three bomb explosions that rocked the island-province of Sulu on Monday.
No one was reported killed or injured in the explosions, but a newly repaired bridge was damaged.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mohammad Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command chief, said the first explosion took place at about 1:45 a.m. on Monday at the garbage dump of an elementary school in barangay Liang, Patikul town.
Dolorfino said another bomb exploded 10 minutes later in the same place.
The third explosion took place shortly after 10 a.m. on Monday, when gunmen believed to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) bombed a newly repaired bridge in Bato-Bato, Indanan town.
Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of the Joint Task Force Comet, said the bridge, known as Salam Bridge (Peace Bridge), is near an MNLF camp.
Guerrero said the explosion left a crater on the bridge’s approach.
Guerrero said the rebels who bombed the bridge were led by Tahil Sali, an MNLF leader and whose group is being pursued for criminal offenses.
“They are trying to disrupt the ongoing US and AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] humanitarian projects in Indanan by sabotaging the bridge,” he said.
“Apparently, Khaid Ajibon [the group’s overall leader] cannot control his men despite the appeals of the Civil Society Organizations and the community,” he added.
The Salam Bridge was repaired last month by the provincial engineer’s office after it collapsed when suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits bombed it in October.
Salam Bridge is the second bridge to be bombed in Indanan in one week.
The first to be bombed was the one in barangay Lampaki, that collapsed following an explosion on Tuesday last week.
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