Abus blamed for Basilan blasts

LIVING WITH CONFLICT A resident of Butig in Lanao del Sur province passes by a military vehicle as soldiers pursue members of the Maute terror group and Abu Sayyaf in the town. —JEOFFREY MAITEM

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Local officials tagged the Abu Sayyaf behind the series of explosions in Basilan province, which killed two children and wounded three others last week.

Mayor Darus Lajid of Al-Barka town and Mayor Rose Furigay of Lamitan City believed the Abu Sayyaf staged the bombings to divert the attention of the military and police from operations against the Maute terror group and its allies in Butig town in Lanao del Sur province.

The roadside blast in Al-Barka town killed two children and wounded three others on Sunday morning. No one was hurt in the twin explosions in Lamitan City, which occurred simultaneously in the villages of Maganda and Malinis on Saturday.

“Bandits are hard up here,” Lajid said as the military intensified its pursuit operation against the Maute group in Butig. “They will try their best to sow more terror to get wider attention. Unfortunately, the victims were innocent children,” he added.

Killed in Al-Barka were Niyadz Pising, 2, and Ombek Akbar, 5, who were playing outdoors when they accidentally triggered a bomb placed on a trail frequented by locals. The explosion also injured Pahmiya Pising and Salmiya Akbar, both 4, and Suraima Akbar, 25.

Furigay said the explosions in Lamitan did not hurt anyone but these damaged several properties in her city.

“[The Abu Sayyaf] was out to create scenarios. The bandit group wanted to divert the attention of the military and the police from Butig by planting bombs in our place,” she added.

Fearing similar attacks in this city, Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar called on security forces and local officials to work together to protect Zamboanga against such threats.

Salazar, who chairs the Regional Peace and Order Council  in Western Mindanao, said intelligence operatives and village officials can help by detecting possible threats, especially from Islamic State-inspired groups.

Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, Western Mindanao police director, said the police have been closely working with the military to detect threats early.

“We have contingencies in case there is spillover [of fighting from Butig],” he said.

Military reports said operations in Butig against the Maute group and its allies killed an Indonesian and 14 suspected terrorists identified with the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf under the command of Isnilon Hapilon.