Blast rocks Iglesia ni Cristo compound in Mindanao
Agence France-Presse | 01/07/2009 4:26 PM
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COTABATO - Suspected Muslim separatist rebels tossed a hand grenade into a church compound in the southern Philippines Wednesday, causing damage but no injuries, police said.
The attack came just hours after security forces had disarmed a bomb planted under a road bridge.
The grenade was thrown by a suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel and landed on an empty basketball court inside the compound of the Iglesia ni Cristo church in the town of Kabacan.
"Nobody was hurt, as there was no one there when it happened. Damage was also minor," local police chief Senior Inspector Franklin Anito told the church-run DXMS radio station.
Police in November foiled three bombing attempts on the church, all of which were blamed on the MILF, he said.
Earlier Wednesday, troops discovered a bomb under bridge in the nearby town of Shariff Aguak.
The device, made from a mortar shell rigged to a mobile phone, was similar to those used in previous bombings by the MILF in the south since August last year, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando said.
"We believe it's part of the rebels' diversionary tactic because they suffered as many as 10 fatalities in our air strikes yesterday," Ando said.
On Tuesday police disarmed two grenades near an area where President Gloria Arroyo was distributing relief goods to flood victims in the city of Iligan.
The government suspended peace talks with the 12,000-strong MILF after the rebels in August launched coordinated attacks across several Mindanao towns and provinces.
Over half a million people have been displaced by the fighting, and while most have returned to their homes, thousands remain in temporary shelters and evacuation camps. Flooding in some parts of Mindanao due to heavy rains have added to their suffering.
More than 40 people have been hurt in bombings since Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, while eight were wounded in a grenade attack by alleged MILF rebels at the weekend.
A grenade also exploded in a public area in the town of Kabacan late Tuesday, although no one was hurt, the authorities said.
