MILF assails police for linking them to Zambo bombings

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Muslim rebels negotiating peace with the Philippine government on Monday assailed police authorities for linking them to twin bombings in Zamboanga City. Unidentified bombers struck early Sunday in the southern port city, simultaneously detonating bombs at a Catholic church and a commercial building housing the Foreign Affairs Ministry. No one was killed or injured in the attacks, but police quickly blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the smaller and more violent militant group, Abu Sayyaf, for the incident. "The MILF has nothing to do with the bombings. Why blame the MILF for the failure of the police to prevent such attacks? If there is anyone to blame for the bombings, it is the authorities. They failed top prevent terrorism," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told GMANews.TV. The first bombing occurred at around 4 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in downtown Zamboanga, while the second bomb was detonated five minutes later outside the Vienna Kaffee Haus near the Foreign Affairs regional office. The bombings came barely a week after Australia and the United States warned their citizens against traveling to Zamboanga City and other parts of southern region because of threats of terrorism and kidnappings. The MILF is currently negotiating peace with Manila and had signed a ceasefire agreement in 2001. "We are not a terrorist group. The MILF is negotiating peace with the Philippine government and there exists a truce accord and there is no reason for us to fight. We want peace to reign," Kabalu said. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the bombings. Police is yet to identify the motive behind the attacks. Police said it is tracking down three men believed to be responsible for the bombings. A church caretaker had told investigators that he saw the trio carrying bags inside the Cathedral compound minutes before the blast. Mayor Celso Lobregat condemned the bombings and appealed for sobriety and vigilance, saying the authorities are still on top of the situation. "We are doing everything to identify the perpetrators of this dastardly act," he said. Two cars parked at the church compound were damaged when the bomb, believed to be assembled from an 81mm mortar, exploded under a concrete stairs leading to the main altar. Kabalu said the MILF is working closely with the government through the so-called ad-hoc joint action group to track down criminals and terrorists. The MILF forged an agreement in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is actively operating. The rebel group in the past had provided the government a list of suspected Filipino and Indonesian terrorists operating in Mindanao. It previously helped Philippine authorities track down and arrest suspected Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the troubled region. Last year, MILF rebels rescued a German national Thomas Wallraf and three other Filipinos kidnapped by bandits while traveling in the southern province of North Cotabato. In 2006, the MILF rescued a kidnapped nine-year old girl, Donna May Ramos, in Basilan island after rebels stormed the hideout of her captors and arrested two men, who were later executed. The rebels also freed a kidnapped social worker, Henry de Guzman, in the southern province of Lanao del Norte. A bombing in Zamboanga City last year was also blamed to the Abu Sayyaf, but the police said three suspects they arrested pointed to a military intelligence agent as the mastermind. The accusation created a silent rift between the police and military. - GMANews.TV