KORONADAL CITY, Philippines — The twin bomb attacks here on Friday that left a Protestant pastor dead and a dozen others wounded bore the signature of the Abu Sayyaf, police said.
The attacks that targeted units of the Yellow Bus Lines (YBL) inside and outside the company’s terminal were both a way to extort money and part of the diversionary tactics of Abu Sayyaf bandits being pursued by the military in Basilan province following the July 10 ambush in which 14 Marines were killed, said Superintendent Robert Kiunisala, South Cotabato police chief.
“It’s a dual purpose [attack]. They carry out the bombings to divert the attention of our troops hunting their colleagues in Basilan,” Kiunisala said.
“Our investigators found out they used TNT (trinitrotoluene) bombs with nails, similar to previous attacks blamed on the Abu Sayyaf group. Nowadays, terror groups like the Abu Sayyaf need money to sustain their existence and their means is through extortion,” he added.
According to Kiunisala, the Al-khobar gang extorting P2 million in protection money from the bus company has direct links not only with Abu Sayyaf but also to renegade members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a secessionist organization engaged in peace talks with government.
The first blast occurred, at the arrival section of the YBL terminal around 5:30 p.m., killed Alliance Church pastor Willy Caritan of Panabo, Davao del Norte.
Minutes later, another bomb went off inside a parked YBL air-conditioned bus. The second explosion damaged motorcycles displayed at a nearby store.
South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes earlier said the twin attacks were similar to previous incidents in the region blamed on terror groups active in Mindanao.
Based on the accounts of witnesses, four men carried out the simultaneous explosions, Kiunisala said.
He said one of them was a man with a shaved head, aged 18 to 23 years old. He was seen by a witness at the terminal’s toilet carrying a bag.
YBL operations remain suspended as of this posting.
“We will impose a one-exit and one-entrance policy before they resume their operations, similar to what is currently being implemented in Davao City Ecoland terminal,” Kiunisala said.
“We will arrange the security measures with YBL management. We will first start in their depot here and then in other areas within our jurisdiction. This is to ensure the safety of passengers and their units,” he added.
Fuentes announced the provincial government will give rewards for tipsters who can provide vital information that will lead to the arrest of the bombers.
“The province will give incentives,” the governor told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
Major Randolph Cabangbang, Eastern Mindanao command spokesperson, told the Inquirer that American experts conducting separate investigation will furnish them a copy of their findings.
“We are waiting for their report. We will know from there if the attacks bore signatures of terror groups. But as of today, what was only clear was that it was carried out by the Al-khobar gang,” Cabangbang said.
It was the third incident against YBL.
On July 18, three persons, including a child, were injured when a bomb exploded inside a YBL bus at the public transport terminal in Tacurong City.
On July 7, a bomb went off outside the bus terminal here. No one was hurt.
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dateline Southern Philippines 