Bomb blast in the southern Philippines kills 2, injures 9

[News_Editor]

Bomb blast in the southern Philippines kills 2, injures 9

2011-08-03 01:02:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

COTABATO CITY, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- Two people were killed and nine others were injured on early Tuesday afternoon when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato, a military official said.

Authorities said the improvised explosive device, which was placed on a motorcycle, detonated near a pharmacy and a gun store at about 2.10 p.m. local time, killing two people and injuring nine others. The explosion occurred on the second day of the Ramadan, but the military said the attack will not affect the observance of the Islamic Holy Month, according to GMA News.

An investigation by operatives from the Explosives and Ordnance Division and Scene of the Crime Operation from the regional police in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where Cotabato City is located, is currently underway.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but past bomb blasts in the south were usually carried out by al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf extremists. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a band of self-styled Islamists who have been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines.


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