Security in Zamboanga tightened after blast

The armed forces have deployed more personnel in Zamboanga City following a second bomb explosion yesterday.

The incident took place a day after a bomb explosion which killed an American soldier and two other civilians, one of whom was believed to be as a suicide bomber. More than 20 were injured in that incident.

A special anti-terror task force stepped up patrols in the remote areas of Zamboanga City. Armoured personnel carriers patrolled the city streets at night. Marines were deployed in Muslim-populated areas. Roads leading to the city hall were closed.

"This is to ensure that no more bombing activities take place in the area," said Colonel Alexander Yapching, adding that authorities started the deployment of more forces at strategic areas since last night.

"Indications point Abu Sayyaf's hand in tossing the beastly bomb (which killed three people and injured 24 others). We will cut that hand. There will be no rest or refuge for them (in the south)," military chief of staff General Benjamin Defensor said.

The bomb blast in Zamboanga came a week after Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani issued a statement on radio calling on "all believers to strike at both foreign and domestic enemies of Islam and their property."

The U.S. and Philippines governments have linked the Abu Sayyaf group to the Al Qaida network of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind in the terror attacks in the U.S., on September 11 last year.

At the same time, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said the second explosion in the south can be the handiwork of a mere copy cat, adding, "There is a possibility that a copy cat is using the first bombing incident as an excuse to launch another combing incident, so that he can eventually launch more terroristic activities in the future."

Chief Inspector Vicente Salvador said the second blast which occurred on Thursday night near a local non-Catholic Church, is not related to the first explosion which occurred on Wednesday night near a military arms depot.

"The first blast was meant to kill and hurt more people. The second blast was meant not to kill anyone, but to alarm authorities," said Salvador.

An analyst said, "The perpetrator of the second bomb explosion might have a motive other than political," but added, "The continuation of bomb explosions in the south will also encourage more terroristic activities."

The explosions have embarrassed the government because it happened in the southern Philippines where the U.S. and the Philippines armed forces held wargames to crush the hostage-taking Abu Sayyaf group in Basilan Island, from February to July 31 this year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy spokesperson Karen Kelly denied criticisms that the Abu Sayyaf group has stepped up its bombing activities in reaction to the U.S. presence in the country.

"There lies the reality that the Philippines has had problems with terrorist activities, and so whatever this report tries to describe as a result of the U.S.-Philippines cooperation, I think, doesn't stand up to closer scrutiny of facts which your government and your president said, that the Philippines has had its own fight against terrorist groups and domestic problems of that nature," said Kelly.

"The report, I think, is erroneous in ascribing a cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines as a source of targeting the Philippines."

It was her response to the statement of the U.S.-based think-tank, Strategic Forecasting (Stratfor) which said the attacks of the Abu Sayyaf group are expected because of the "growing presence" of the U.S. in the Philippines which has become "Washington's second front" in its campaign against terrorism.

Stratfor predicted earlier that the first bombing incident in Zamboanga will be followed by more attacks. It added that the Abu Sayyaf group is responsible for the first bombing attack. It has not released a statement in connection with the second bomb explosion in the south.

However, the presidential palace has expressed confidence that the bombing incidents will pass. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said, "We remain confident that we have been prepared adequately for this situation and we will deal with them as they occur."