Mindanao alerted over possible bomb attacks

A regional military commander yesterday said he has alerted key southern Philippine cities to intelligence reports indicating al-Qaeda-linked militants could be plotting bomb attacks.

The bombings allegedly planned by the Abu Sayyaf could be aimed at extorting money from businesses or diverting the military’s focus from monthlong US-backed offensives against the rebel group and Indonesian militants on southern Jolo island, Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo said.

Security also needed to be bolstered ahead of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which could encourage terrorists to strike, according to Cedo, head of the military’s Western Mindanao Command.

Intelligence gathered by the military did not identify any specific targets, but Cedo said the militants usually strike in prominent urban centers, like the southern port city of Zamboanga.

A military counterterrorism force has asked security guards in gas stations and shopping malls in Zamboanga to be on alert. Troops also went on alert in a number of other cities, he said.

"It could be extortion but informants were telling us this group may resort to diversionary tactics to try to influence our positioning of troops," Cedo said.

Six Marines were killed and 19 others wounded Monday in one of the biggest recent battles against the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo island. Military officials said dozens of militants may have been killed but not one body was recovered by government forces and the claim could not be independently confirmed.

The offensive was prompted by the recent sightings of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani and two Indonesian militants who are wanted for allegedly helping plan the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia that killed 202 people.

Government troops clashed with another group of suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels Wednesday near Jolo’s Indanan town, wounding five soldiers, military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said without providing other details. — AP