Bombing in Philippines Kills Eight
Police and soldiers stepped up security Wednesday in the southern Philippines after eight people were killed in a bombing at a crowded marketplace blamed on a Muslim extremist group.
Five more deaths were recorded overnight after three died on the spot when the improvised device exploded in a billiards hall in Tacurong city’s public market Tuesday, provincial police chief Teng Tocao said.
He said 27 people were being treated for their wounds.Â
‘Unfortunately eight have died in this attack. We see the signature of the JI in this attack,’ Tocao said, referring to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Al Qaeda’s Southeast Asian arm.Â
He said police and military forces had cordoned off the blast site as bomb experts continued with their investigation.Â
More police were deployed to patrol the streets while military checkpoints were set up around Tacurong on Mindanao island, which has been plagued by more than three decades of Muslim insurgency.Â
Regional military chief Major General Reymundo Ferrer also accused the JI over the attack, apparently designed to ease pressure on militants in nearby Jolo island.