Jihadists kill six in nail bombing on bus in Philippines

The jihadists in the Philippines seem not to have gotten the memo that the war on terror is winding down and the terrorists are on the run. "Six die in nail bombing on bus in Philippines," by Jenny Booth for the Times, September 1 (thanks to Mackie):

A powerful bomb packed with steel nails has exploded on a passenger bus in the Philippines today, killing at least six people and wounding 26 others in a possible attack by an extortion gang, police said.
The blast in Digos city in Davao del Sur province occurred inside a bus owned by a company that has been targeted by extortionists in the past, said Superintendent Francisco Villaroman, the regional police intelligence officer.

The bomb, which had been placed in an overhead bin, tore a hole in the roof of the bus and shattered its windows. Six people died, and the wounded included several children, he said.

“They placed the bomb overhead and packed it with nails obviously to cause more casualties,” said Supt Villaroman, speaking by telephone from the scene....

Supt Villaroman said that a notorious extortion gang named Al Khobar had demanded 500,000 pesos (£5,000) plus a 50,000 peso (£500) monthly payment from the bus company in July.

When the management refused, the extortionists bombed a bus in Digos on July 23, killing one person and wounding 32 others, he said. The bombs used in the earlier attack were packed with a similar type of steel nails.

Al Khobar has also targeted other bus companies and has been blamed for several bombings in the country’s southern Mindanao region. Officials say the group has links to Muslim militants, who are active in the area....

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4 Comments

n.a. palm | September 1, 2008 3:32 PM

It must be ramadan, or is it 'ramabomb'......

pulsar182 | September 1, 2008 6:18 PM

" Officials say the group has links to Muslim militants"

gee, who woulda thunk it?...

dumbledoresarmy | September 1, 2008 7:43 PM

For purposes of comparison with the 'timesonline' story, here's the AFP version as retailed by the Australian national news site online:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/01/2352526.htm?section=world

'Five dead, 32 wounded' in Philippines bus blast
- Posted 11 hours 24 minutes ago  Updated 11 hours 25 minutes ago
'Five people have been killed and 32 others were wounded when a powerful bomb ripped through a packed passenger bus in the southern Philippines, police and disaster officials said.

'The blast, caused by an improvised explosive device, tore through the bus, which was parked inside a terminal in the city of Digos on troubled Mindanao island, they said. {Observe that prim little adjective - 'troubled' (an alternative to our old friend 'restive', but about as vague and useless). AFP - bite the bullet, please, and just write "jihad-wracked", it would be far more truthful and to the point - dda}.

'It was not immediately clear how many passengers were aboard the bus or how many people were at the terminal at the time of the explosion.

'Witnesses quoted by police said the vehicle's roof and sides were ripped open by the force of the explosion.

'"It was so powerful that the blast decapitated a civilian," said regional army spokesman Major Armand Rico.

'Four people were killed on the spot, while the fifth victim died in hospital of injuries sustained in the explosion, police said.

'Rico said troops had been sent to the area to set up roadblocks along possible escape routes in a bid to catch the culprits.

'No one immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.

'Officials had warned the public to brace for possible attacks by Muslim separatist rebels, who are on the run from a military offensive on Mindanao.

'The renegade guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are responsible for a wave of deadly attacks this month on Mindanao. More than 100 rebels as well as more than 40 civilians and soldiers have been killed.

'The clashes have put on hold peace talks between the Government of President Gloria Arroyo and the MILF, which recently warned that the upsurge in violence could lead to a full-blown war in the mainly Roman Catholic country. {yeah - in other words, the MILF is threatening full-scale Jihad against the whole of the Philippines - dda}.

'Police said they were also looking at the possibility the attack could have been carried out by a Muslim crime group known as the Al-Khobar gang as the bus firm, Metro Shuttle, had apparently received threats.

{NOTE: I nearly fell off my chair when I read those words 'Muslim crime group' in a report sourced from AFP! - dda}

'The gang is composed mostly of foreign Muslim rebels and preys on businesses in the south. {hmm - collecting jizya? - I'd like to know whether they extort from all businesses, or just from businesses run by non-Muslims - dda}.

'A Metro Shuttle official said last month that the gang had demanded 50,000 pesos a month in extortion money, threatening attacks if it was not paid. {sounds like demands for jizya to me - dda}.

'Provincial police chief Cesario Darantinao said that members of the gang were believed to be responsible for another bomb attack on a Metro Shuttle bus last month. That attack, also in Digos, killed three people.

'"We had filed cases against them for multiple frustrated murder" in relation to the earlier bombing, Darantinao said, without disclosing the names of the suspects.

'"These are most likely the same people based on description of the modus operandi," he said.
- AFP". END.

Anne Lieberman | September 1, 2008 8:57 PM

Does anyone else find it odd (and/or alarming) that the very same State Department that designated the southern Philippines as a "terrorist safe haven" has also organized a tour of American schools for a trio of Muslims from that very area?

They visited schools in Greensboro NC on Aug. 21 (including a Jewish school, where the local news video showed them taking pictures) and apparently continued from there to Washington, Buffalo, Tulsa and Los Angeles. According to Greensboro newspaper accounts, it's a three-week tour, so I would surmise they're in their last week.

http://bokertov.typepad.com/btb/2008/08/seven-years-aft.html

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