Security tight in Jolo town after troops recover bomb

From the Mindanao Examiner (Oct 6): Security tight in Jolo town after troops recover bomb

Military authorities have tightened security on Tuesday in the southern Filipino town of Jolo after troops recovered a homemade bomb left behind by suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels.

Two motorcycle men abandoned the explosive – assembled from a 60mm mortar bomb – after seeing troops manning a checkpoint in the village of San Raymundo late on Monday. Soldiers tried, but failed to catch with the men who immediately fled, leaving behind the improvised explosive device hidden among a basket of fruits.

Military bomb experts inspected the basket and found the explosive which was eventually disarmed.

It was unknown whether the bomb was intended for shipment to Zamboanga City or for troops and military vehicles passing in the village which is near a marine and army bases in the town.

Security forces are battling the Abu Sayyaf, tagged as behind the spate of terrorism and ransom kidnappings, in southern Philippines.

The military said it has deployed more troops to help local police forces patrol the town which has been bombed in the past Abu Sayyaf attacks.

 http://mindanaoexaminer.com/security-tight-in-jolo-town-after-troops-recover-bomb/