Nine killed, 50 wounded in RP grenade attack<\/p>\n
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Extremists unleashed a grenade
\nattack in the southern Philippines, killing nine people and
\nwounding 50 others to avenge the death of their leader, officials
\nsaid on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Suspected Abu Sayyaf guerrillas lobbed at least one grenade
\nlate on Saturday into a crowd watching firemen put out a blaze in
\nJolo, capital of the southern province of Sulu, a Muslim
\nstronghold.<\/p>\n
Police could not say how many grenades were thrown but
\nwitnesses said a series of explosions were heard.<\/p>\n
Nine people were killed on the spot, while at least 50 others,
\nincluding eight marine troopers and two policemen, were wounded
\nby shrapnel and ensuing gunfire.<\/p>\n
Many victims sustained serious injuries and some of them have
\nbeen flown to this port city for treatment.<\/p>\n
The blast came shortly after a fire broke out inside the
\nGoodwill Foodmart, triggered by a separate explosion and
\napparently not part of the Abu Sayyaf attack.<\/p>\n
Sulu Governor Munib Estino said a \"mis-encounter\" occurred
\nbetween the responding policemen and marine troopers after the
\ngrenade explosion, when marine troopers fired warning shots in a
\nbid to control the crowd.<\/p>\n
Panicking policemen, who thought the gun shots came from the
\nextremists, fired back, triggering a brief exchange of gunfire.<\/p>\n
\"There was a commotion and the marines tried to control the
\ncrowd but instead figured in a mis-encounter (with the police),\"
\nEstino, who arrived in this port city Sunday together with the
\nwounded marine troops, said.<\/p>\n
He added a \"thorough investigation\" into the incident was
\nunderway. It was not immediately clear if the extremists had
\nopened fire, or whether any of the wounded sustained bullet
\nwounds.<\/p>\n
Sulu police chief Senior Superintendent Isah Hassan said they
\nhave beefed up security in the province to prevent further
\nattacks by extremists still smarting from recent government
\noffensives.<\/p>\n
The Abu Sayyaf has threatened to attack government and
\nbusiness targets in the south, to avenge the death last month of
\ntheir feared leader, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.<\/p>\n
The Libyan-trained firebrand, the country's most wanted man,
\nwas killed in a firefight with police in Basilan province. The
\nmilitary has claimed to have neutralized the group after
\nJanjalani's death, with intelligence reports saying it was in the
\nbrink of breaking up amid in-fighting over who should succeed the
\nfallen leader.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nine-killed-50-wounded-in-rp-grenade-attack-1447893297",
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