MANILA, Philippines—There have been at least 10 terrorist bombings per month since January this year in strife-torn Mindanao, claiming 50 lives and injuring more than 250 others, according to military records.
An executive summary of bombing incidents in Mindanao from Jan. 1 to Oct. 26 showed that 136 bomb-related incidents occurred in the region, of which 108 cases were attributed to the rogue Moro rebels and the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
Of the 108 incidents, 70 occurred mostly in Central Mindanao, while the rest took place in Western Mindanao, including the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay; Lanao de Sur and Lanao del Norte; Sulu; and Basilan.
The bombings have killed a total of 11 soldiers and 39 civilians and wounded 35 soldiers and 256 civilians.
AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. observed that these incidents occurred at a time the military has heightened its pursuit operations against terrorist groups to curb the spate of kidnappings in the region.
"The bombings are tactics they undertake to divert the attention of the military so that we won't be able to go after them," Brawner explained to reporters yesterday.
For the past months, the military has been kept busy with the spate of kidnappings that occurred in the region. These included the abduction of three International Committee of the Red Cross in January, a Sri Lankan peacekeeper, several teachers and recently, an Irish missionary priest.
"The terrorist groups resorting to bombings is also an indication that they are running low of ammunitions," added Brawner.
The report also indicated that most of the bombings in central Mindanao were in relation to the relentless "punitive operations" undertaken by government forces against the rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's 105th base command under Umbra Kato.
To address the spate of bombings in the region, the military said it has boosted its rapid deployment capability and the deployment of regional mobile groups and special action forces from the Philippine National Police.
The military said it was also set to establish an inter-agency counter-terrorism planning and operations centers in the cities of Zamboanga, Davao and Cotabato, which will integrate and enhance anti-terrorism capability of the military and police, among others.
