Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Bomb explodes in Zamboanga town

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – A homemade bomb exploded early Wednesday in front of hardware store in a southern Philippine town previously pillaged by Abu Sayyaf militants, officials said.

Officials said the blast at around 4.10 a.m. damaged the façade of the L & A Construction and Electrical Supplies in downtown Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

No one was reported killed or injured in the explosion, said Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

She said the motive of the bombing is still being investigated by authorities and no group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Suspects remain unknown for the moment while the motive of the blast is being investigated. The army is actively assisting the police in the investigation,” Cacho told the Mindanao Examiner.

Abu Sayyaf militants had pillaged the town in 1995, killing 53 people and burned the business district of Ipil before escaping. More than 200 militants, headed by Abu Sayyaf chieftain Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, led the attack. Janjalani was killed three years later in a clash with police in nearby Basilan Island. (Mindanao Examiner)

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