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| Southeast Asia |
| Sulu (Phillippines) Provincal Governor cheats death in slay attempt |
| 2009-05-16 |
| After the assassination attempt on the life of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan on Wednesday in Patikul, Sulu, another provincial governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has cheated death when a powerful bomb meant for him was exploded along the main highway in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province on Friday morning. Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao Province, disclosed to The Manila Times that Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan was very lucky when three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that was intended for him and his convoy exploded at about 8 a.m. without hurting him and his security escorts. But the powerful bomb fashioned out of an 81-mm mortar shell and rigged with a timing device exploded in succession with 40 seconds interval along Shariff Aguak road. According to Ponce, the explosions were powerful enough that they caused the instant death of one of the members of the Civilian Volunteers’ Organization (CVOs) in Shariff Aguak identified as Mamayo Ganon and the wounding of two other CVOs identified as Renz Amit and Omar Silongan, including one civilian named Samaon Andatuan. A red Nissan pick-up utility vehicle that was parked by the roadside was also heavily damaged by the impact of the explosion. Councilor Alijol Alvarez Ampatuan, a member of the Ampatuan clan, owns the vehicle. Ponce also said that the Army suspects the explosives were not only intended to harm Gov. Andal, but also the military convoy that regularly pass the same route. The Army regional spokesman said the Maguindanao governor was on his way to visit Barangay Bagong in Shariff Aguak with several vehicles, including a military convoy. Ponce revealed that this roadside-bombing was the handiwork of the Special Operations Group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) because the improvised explosive device had an 81-mm mortar shell as component. “This is an MILF signature as what most IEDs exploded or discovered in many areas of the embattled towns of Maguindanao in the past,” Ponce said. He said the Army 6th Infantry Division under Gen. Fred Cayton immediately ordered the bomb disposal unit of the Army to comb the area and the roadside for more IEDs that could be hidden there. The MILF has denied any involvement in the attack, saying it could be related to clan war or family feud and may even be related to politics. The MILF spokesman said the AFP should refrain from making hasty comment and always pointing to the MILF as a scapegoat or ‘punching bag” of misguided statements. The elder Ampatuan also survived several assassination attempts since 2001. In 2006, he was ambushed and survived in Shariff Aguak town after a roadside bomb was detonated near the politician’s convoy and authorities blamed the attack on a senior MILF leader, Zaid Pakiladatu, who denied the accusation. However, Pakiladatu’s wife was also killed in an ambush in Cotabato City several weeks later after the bombing. Ampatuan’s son Hoffer was killed during a shootout in a party in Cotabato City in 2002, while his brother, Saudi Ampatuan, a town mayor, was also killed in a bomb attack in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town in 2003. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #1 The elder Ampatuan is one tough bastard. They killed his brother, his wife, and his son, and they just missed him again. |
| Posted by: gromky 2009-05-16 08:25 |