MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jun) – Philippine authorities have placed the Muslim autonomous region in the strife-torn island of Mindanao in heightened alert because of possible terror attacks.
The increased security came just a week after the United States told its citizens not to travel in the troubled region because of the terror threats.
Terrorists may be planning an attack on civilian areas, particularly in bus depot and market places.
Filipino military spokesman, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, said security forces are placed in “extreme” alert in Mindanao.
“We are tightening security in Mindanao because of this terror threat,” he told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
The region is home to local terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf and several rebel organizations, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the communist New People’s Army and smaller breakaway factions and bandits, blamed for ransom kidnappings of foreigners and wealthy Filipino traders.
Aside from these groups, Filipino soldiers are also tracking down about three dozen Indonesian and Malaysian bombers of the Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the southern Philippines.
Philippine soldiers on Monday already doubled its security in Maguindanao province following a foiled bombing of a packed commuter bus.
“We have taken extra efforts to ensure the safety of the public. More soldiers are deployed to help police guard public areas,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said.
The official said soldiers disarmed a homemade bomb planted in the bus late Sunday.
The bomb was discovered by the bus driver after he made a stop in the province to pick up passengers. The bomb was rigged to an electronic timer that would trigger detonation.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the foiled bombing, but the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya are actively operating in the province.
The United States Embassy said: “The Embassy has information that terrorists may be planning to carry out bombings at bus terminals and public market places.”
“U.S. citizens should exercise extreme caution in central Mindanao. U. S. citizens living and working in central Mindanao are urged to reassess their personal security and to keep a low profile, and should avoid public gathering places,” it added.
Terror attacks in Mindanao last month killed at least 11 people and wounded more than 100 others and Filipino authorities blamed the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya in the latest bombings.
In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf bombed a ferry off the Manila Bay and killed more than 100 passengers. Washington listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist organizations and offered as much as ten million dollars for the capture of their leaders. (With reports from Juley Reyes and Mark Navales)
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