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CNN Saturday Morning News

Explosion Kills Five in Philippines

Aired February 16, 2002 - 07:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the Philippines, authorities there are looking for suspects in two separate bomb attacks. One explosion killed five people in the town of Jolo. The other blast took place about 100 miles south of there in Zambuonga.

Our Maria Ressa joins us by phone from Zambuonga with the latest -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne, both explosions happened a few hours of each other. The one in Jolo was in a public market. It was far larger in scope, about 45 people were injured in that one. The second one is here in Zambuonga. Police say it was a Belgian handmade grenade. It was hurled from the balcony of a movie theater. It exploded in the orchestra section and injured about five people.

This happened in the middle of the afternoon in Zambuonga's largest mall.

Interesting in timing, because it happened -- that mall is about 20 minutes away from the military headquarters. There, about 400 U.S. soldiers have been temporarily based. This happens one day before joint military exercises enter the second phase, which puts U.S. soldiers in combat areas here in the southern Philippines.

Right now we're expecting the arrival of a little more than 30 U.S. special forces here in Zambuonga. They're expected to spend the night here, go through a cultural sensitivity seminar in the morning, and then head on out to the island of Basilan in the late afternoon. That's the combat area, where they'll be joining exercises with the Philippine troops.

MESERVE: Maria, any claims of responsibility?

RESSA: At this point, none, and actually what's very confusing here is that this is not an isolated incident. Explosions like this happen frequently. There are at least three Muslim armed groups here. The target, of course, of the exercises with the U.S. and Philippine troops is the Abu Sayyaf. They are on the island of Basilan. That group has been holding two Americans and one Filipina hostage. This is its ninth month.

The target of these exercises is to, in the president's -- the president of the Philippines' words, "wipe out" the Abu Sayyaf and to rescue these hostages -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Maria, do authorities have any doubts that these two bombings were connected?

RESSA: Right now it's still too early to tell. The police and the military sources we've just spoken with have told us that they are looking into it. The one in Zambuonga, they say, is quite small, and they suspect may even be a criminal group here. So it's too soon to tell. They say that what they are afraid of, however, and what they're trying to caution against is that this may be targeted against the American presence here.

MESERVE: Maria Ressa, thank you.

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