Abu Sayyaf men blow up bridge in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Abu Sayyaf gunmen, using an improvised explosive device, blasted a concrete bridge in Patikul, Sulu, early Saturday, the police said.

Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, police chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the bridge in Barangay Taung was not passable for now as the 1:45 a.m. explosion seriously damaged it. No casualties were reported, however.

“The bombing was meant to paralyze the movements of the police and the military,” he said, citing the results of investigation conducted by the Sulu police.

The Abu Sayyaf, a ragtag band of self-styled Islamists, still operates in Sulu despite an earlier military claim the group had been reduced to insignificance following the deaths of its top leaders.