Police step up security in Basilan after two roadside bombings

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES - Police have stepped up security in the troubled southern Philippines province of Basilan after two roadside bombings that killed an army soldier and wounded about a dozen people, officials said Wednesday. “We are taking steps to ensure the safety of everybody in Basilan. There is an ongoing operation against lawless elements," said Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the provincial police chief. Four of those wounded in Monday’s twin attacks were followers of a mayoralty candidate Ben Hataman who is running in Sumisip town, police said. The explosion occurred at around 11:00 a.m. in the town’s Giong village wounding the four who were traveling in a jeep. Another explosion 20 minutes later in the village of Libog also in Sumisip town targeted a military armor personnel carrier, killing the soldier and wounding eight more. Police blamed the Abu Sayyaf headed by Puruji Indama for both attacks. The wounded soldiers were brought to a military hospital in Zamboanga City where they are being treated for bullet and shrapnel wounds. Police also deployed additional forces in Bubuan Island off Basilan province after sporadic fighting erupted between two warring clans headed by Masud Agtah and Jamang Mohamad, Mendoza said. The fighting left one person dead over the weekend while two people were also wounded in the clashes, he said. - GMANews.TV