ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 16, 2012) – Gunmen opened fire on a boat on Monday off Basilan province in the southern Philippines and killing a passenger and wounded two others, reports said.
It said the attack occurred off the town of Maluso, but it was unclear what triggered the strafing. The attack was the third since last week after gunmen also ambushed pro-government militias in Sumisip town and a truck transporting farm workers that left 6 people dead.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the latest violence, but authorities have blamed Abu Sayyaf militants with links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya as behind previous attacks in Basilan.
The Abu Sayyaf is actively operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)
20