Baliguian town mayor, 5 others wounded in blast; bomber captured in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / October 5, 2009) – Six people were wounded, including a town mayor, in a roadside bombing Monday in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said a cargo truck carrying Gani Esmali, the mayor of Baliguian town in Zamboanga del Norte province, was hit by the bombing in the village of Kauswagan.

“Six civilians were wounded, including the Baliguian mayor. They were evacuated to Siocon hospital,” said Marine Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day after government soldiers captured a suspected bomber in Zamboanga City.

Soldiers belonging to the Army’s Task Force Zamboanga captured Arnel Ceniza who was transporting an improvised explosive device assembled from a 60mm mortar bomb near the village of Campo Islam.

Local authorities are still investigating the 37-year old man whether he is a member of any rebel group.

Zamboanga City has been flooded with reports of bomb threats the past weeks after fighting between troops and rebels broke out in Sulu province that had killed at least four dozen gunmen and soldiers, including two members of the US Special Forces assisting the local military in defeating terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)