Bomb explodes in Tacurong City, nearly 2 dozen casualties

From the Mindanao Examiner (Jan 1): Bomb explodes in Tacurong City, nearly 2 dozen casualties

Nearly two dozen people were killed and wounded in a huge blast in front of a bar in Tacurong City in the southern Filipino province of Sultan Kudarat in the restive Mindanao region, police said on Monday.

Police said the attack occurred on New Year’s Eve and targeted civilians and at least 1 person was confirmed dead from the bombing that occurred in downtown Tacurong.

An improvised explosive device left inside a parked motorcycle taxi was set off by the bomber as civilians were celebrating the festive holiday.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion fell heavily on the jihadist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters which is actively operating in the province.

The military did not release any information into the deadly blast, but nearly half of its forces were on a holiday break. The bombing occurred even as the whole of the region is under martial rule.

The blast also coincided with another bombing outside a police base in the troubled Maguindanao province near Tacurong and killed a policeman. Four others were also wounded in the blast in Shariff Aguak town blamed by the police on BIFF.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/bomb-explodes-in-tacurong-city-nearly-2-dozen-casualties/