Philippines - the new terrorist front?

[DealMonkey]

The Philippines (especially in the south) has long been a hotbed of Islamic terrorism. Could this be the next front in the war on terrorism? Also, do these terrorists know what a MILF is? Am I the only one who finds their acronym hysterical?

Philippines bomb kills at least 12
Saturday, May 10, 2003 Posted: 8:11 AM EDT (1211 GMT)

KORONADAL, Philippines (CNN) -- An explosion in a public market in this southern Philippine city killed at least 12 people and wounded 20 others Saturday afternoon, the Philippine military said.

A spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines said there has been no claim of responsibility, but they suspect the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"We think the MILF could have been involved in it, but we have no conclusion yet," Col. Danilo Lucero said.

The bomb was an improvised explosive device, and the injured were taken to two hospitals in the area, Lucero said.

Two hours later, another bomb was found near the market and taken away by a police bomb squad to be defused.

Police chief Superintendent Danilo Posadas said an initial investigation showed the bomb which exploded was fashioned from an 81 mm mortar shell, The Associated Press reported.

"Terrorists did it," he said, without elaborating.

Among the dead were two women vendors and three passers-by at the local market, scene of a similar bombing last month that killed two people. Police and the military blamed last month's bombing on the MILF.

The government has blamed the MILF for most of the bombings on the main southern island of Mindanao, including two blasts that killed 38 people in southern Davao city in March and April.

Koronadal is a city in the province of Cotabato in the southern Philippines.

Muslim insurgents and guerilla groups, including MILF and Abu Sayyaf -- which has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network -- have been fighting the government for decades, mainly in the country's south.

Fighting has escalated since the Philippine military attacked a key MILF stronghold three weeks ago.

The United States has been assisting the Philippines military in its fight against the Abu Sayyaf group, the Islamic militant group in the southern Philippines linked to al Qaeda.

 

[Alistar7]

Philippines - the new terrorist front?


Muslim insurgents and guerilla groups, including MILF and Abu Sayyaf -- which has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network -- have been fighting the government for decades, mainly in the country's south.


old news, we have "advisors" all over pan-asia assisting governments...

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: Alistar7
Philippines - the new terrorist front?


Muslim insurgents and guerilla groups, including MILF and Abu Sayyaf -- which has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network -- have been fighting the government for decades, mainly in the country's south.


old news, we have "advisors" all over pan-asia assisting governments...

Actually, they've been a problem for over a century since the U.S. had troops fighting in the southern part of the country after the Spanish-American War.

It's hardly a "new" terrorist front. We had troops over there last year conducting operations if you missed the multitudes of press reports on it.

 

[rawoutput]

My brother was stationed there as an Army Captain for about 6 months. Terrorists attacked happened all the time while he was there, hopefully the joint military can put a dent in the militias there.