Terrorist Bombings in Southern Philippines

(Zamboanga City, Philippines) Two bombs detonated and wounded 26 in this port city Wednesday night. Muslim terrorists of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) are believed to be responsible.

From ABS-CBN Interactive:

The first bomb, which exploded along Campaner Street, damaged shops and wounded 14 people. The second, in a room of a nearby hotel on Climaco Avenue, wounded 12.

Four people in the first blast were identified as Abdurahim Asdali, 55, Jimmy Timpong, 25, corn vendor Fermina Ehe and Frederico Batocloy, 32.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Batocloy said he saw a white multicab passed by a copra warehouse where he was employed as a security guard when it suddenly exploded. It happened at 7:20 p.m.

The explosion wrecked the multicab and partially damaged a house, reports said.

While police and military bomb disposal personnel were looking for evidence, the second explosion rocked the second floor of St. Ann's Pension House on Climaco Avenue past 8 p.m.

The second blast was only two blocks away from the first explosion.

"These explosions appear to be terror attacks," military spokesman Lt.Col. Buenaventura Pascual said, adding that a third bomb was found in the area but did not explode.

The Abu Sayyaf is a guerrilla group linked to Jemaah Islamiah, a southeast Asian Al Qaeda affiliate. Thus far, no group has claimed responsibility for the Zamboanga explosions.