Police arrest 2 MILF rebels linked to Philippines bombings

From the Mindanao Examiner (Aug 18): Police arrest 2 MILF rebels linked to Philippines bombings

Police are holding 2 members of the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front on suspicion they were behind a series of bombings that injured over a dozen people in Sultan Kudarat’s Tacurong City in southern Philippines.

The duo also yielded grenades and firearms when policemen nabbed them following Monday night’s daring attacks. The suspects denied accusations against them, but police said witnesses said the duo was at the area prior to the bombings.

Two improvised explosives went off almost simultaneously at Dragon Mart and gas station nearby while the third was detonated along the road. At least 15 people, including a teenager and security personnel were among the wounded from the bombings.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blasts, but the attack only showed the failure of police and military to detect or prevent the bombings. Authorities have not released any statement on the attacks.

The daring attacks occurred just barely two weeks after 8 people were wounded in a blast at the compound of the Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative where an improvised explosive had been detonated by an unidentified man.

Many of the injured were employees of the cooperative, but one ambulant vendor was also wounded in the blast.

The assailant fled even before the explosion and authorities were investigating whether the attack was connected to extortion or not. No individual claimed responsibility for the blast, but several rebel groups and criminal gangs are actively operating in the province.

In August 2015, motorcycle gunmen also attacked the police headquarters in Tacurong City, exploding a grenade at the office of the Highway Patrol Group. Although no one was killed or injured in the explosion, it only proved that even the police are not safe from such attack.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/police-arrest-2-milf-rebels-linked-to-philippines-bombings/