More bomb incidents in Cotabato

From Rappler (Aug 12): More bomb incidents in Cotabato

At least two separate explosions while another powerful bomb was defused in the latest spate of bomb attacks in Central Mindanao, authorities said Monday, August 12.

A blast hit the Kabacan, North Cotabato office of Commission on Election (Comelec) dawn Monday, just hours after security forces defused a powerful homemade bomb outside the Cotabato City Hall.

The Comelec office inside the municipal hall of Kabacan was partially destroyed after an M-79 grenade fired by unknown men exploded around 2 am.

There were no reported casualties in the latest attacks in the area, said town police Chief Insp. Jordine Maribojo.

Four people were wounded in a similar attack on August 9 and no one group claimed responsibility.

On Sunday night, August 11, around 11:30 pm, police and military bomb experts defused a powerful improvised bomb planted by unknown men at the back of the Cotabato City Hall, 6 days after a deadly car bomb explosion that left 8 people dead and dozens wounded.

Sr Supt Rolen Balquin, police commander of Cotabato, said the bombs were fashioned from two 60mm and 81 mmm mortar shells attached to a mobile Phone as detonator.

City Administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, who survived the August 5 car bomb explosion along the busy Sinsuat Avenue, said alert police and members of Philippine Marines discovered the explosive at the back of People’s Palace.

“This is a call for all people in Cotabato to join hands and be very vigilant. Let us help our authorities by reporting immediately suspicious belongings,” Sayadi said.

Earlier on same day, a homemade bomb also exploded along the highway in the village of Baliki in Midsayap, North Cotabato, but there were no casualties.

Von Al Haq, spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said by phone the series of bomb attacks in the region were meant to sabotage the peace process.

“As we observe, this kind of terror attacks were perpetrated by people against in the peace process,” he said.

He said a young jihadist group inspired by the al-Qaeda, Khilafa Islamiya, could be part also of a dummy of people who does not want peace in Mindanao.

“With request from our counterparts in the government, we have checked Khilafa Islamiya group with our forces based in Lanao del Sur and it turn out negative,” he said.

Khilafah is a probable suspect in a spate of bombings in Mindanao. Khilafah in Islam means caliphate which refers to an Islamic state representing political unity for the entire Muslim community.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/36197-more-bomb-incidents-in-cotabato