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Southeast Asia |
Blast kills 5 people in southern Philippines |
2011-03-11 |
[Straits Times] A POWERFUL blast killed at least five people and maimed three near a school on a southern island in the Philippines on Thursday, a marine general said. No has grabbed credit for the attack but a small band of Islamist gunnies with close ties to al Qaeda and regional network Jemaah Islamiah (JI) operates on the island, Brigadier General Romeo Tanalgo, marine commander, said. Since 2004, a small group of US soldiers is based on the island in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic state, helping train local soldiers fight Islamist turbans. US-trained army commandos launched attacks on another band of Abu Sayyaf gunnies in nearby Sacol island on Thursday, tracking down a rebel leader wanted in the United States. The Abu Sayyaf, with an estimated strength of about 300 fighters, has been blamed for bombings, kidnappings, and beheadings in the troubled south. |
Posted by:Fred |