US envoy calls Bukidnon bus attack “tragic”

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 12): US envoy calls Bukidnon bus attack “tragic”

America’s top envoy to the Philippines has denounced the deadly attack on a passenger bus in Bukidnon province that killed 10 and injured 41 others, calling the incident “tragic.”

In the latest terrorist attack on civilians, police said an improvised explosive device planted on a Rural Transit bus was detonated by a cellular phone, killing mostly students.

“It's clear we condemn any violence that takes place such as what we've seen in Mindanao,” US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said as he called for closer cooperation with the Philippines in the fight against terrorism.

“We all need to work together as we all do with the government of the Philippines to work against that kind of terror,” the envoy told reporters in an ambush interview.

Philippines-U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation has successfully led to the killing of key local terrorists from the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao.

Since 2002, hundreds of US Special Forces have been deployed and scattered in the Zamboanga Peninsula and nearby islands of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Central Mindanao on a rotation basis to provide combat training and weapons to the Philippine military fighting extremist groups, blamed for country's worst terrorist attacks.

According to Goldberg, the US currently have “less of a presence” in Mindanao “than it has been.”“It's been a very successful presence,” he said. “Our special operations forces have worked together for a long time so we continue that effort against this horrible scourge of terrorism.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=715714