Davao Norte town hall attacked: Powerful blast rocks Kudarat town

A powerful blast rocked the town proper of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat the other night, just hours after Marine soldiers gunned down a rebel and recovered four firearms after a brief firefight with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas near Camp Abubakar Assidik in Maguindanao.

Also last Thursday night, still unidentified men attacked with grenade launchers the municipal hall of Carmen, Davao del Norte. No one was reported injured in the assault, police said.

The bomb, reportedly made of incendiary chemicals mixed with shredded cast iron, exploded at about 7:20 p.m. near a building of Isulan's Association of Barangay Chairmen along a busy street.

"It was just fortunate that no one was reported killed or injured," said Maj. Julieto Ando, civil-military relations chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

The blast damaged the ABC building and the town's postal office, authorities said. The attack prompted banks and business establishments in Isulan to close yesterday.

Thursday's attack was the fourth in Isulan since last April, and the military was quick to blame the MILF for the spate of atrocities.

Last May 11, two M-79 grenades exploded at the Isulan public market. Since then, at least five bombs had been found in the area.

The bomb explosion was preceded by running gunbattles between elements of the 2nd Marine Battalion Landing Team and MILF rebels in Barangay Sarmiento, Matanog, Maguindanao, which is traversed by the Secretary Narciso Ramos Highway.

The Marines killed a Moro rebel, identified only as Khalil, whose body was turned over to local officials.

Ando said the Marines were patrolling in Barangay Sarmiento where the MILF once maintained a sophisticated communications facility, when the rebels opened fire, triggering a firefight.

"The rebels did not expect that the soldiers would return fire so they ran away and abandoned six bunkers they were occupying," Ando said.

Another group of MILF rebels opened fire on a group of Army engineers fixing portions of the Secretary Narciso Ramos Highway hit by bombs at the height of the military's clearing operations in the area.

Meanwhile, Senior Inspector Matthew Baccay, information officer of the Southern Mindanao police command, said the attack on Carmen, Davao del Norte damaged the glass windows of the office of Mayor Jesus Gaviola.

Witnesses claimed having seen two unidentified men running away from the scene immediately after the incident.

"At the moment we cannot really say yet what was the motive for the bombing. We still do not know if it was the handiwork of the MILF, rival political groups or even criminal elements. We really do not know," Baccay said.