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1 Marine officer dead, 2 hurt in bomb attack in Philippines

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-21 19:55

COTABATO, Philippines: Suspected Al-Qaida affiliated militants detonated a homemade bomb on Wednesday morning in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, leaving a Philippine marine officer dead and two others wounded, the military said.

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Regional Marine spokesman Major Ramon David Hontiveros said soldiers were on foot patrol in the outskirt village of Tugas in the township of Patikul when an improvised bomb planted by militants exploded.

Sulu is a known bailiwick of Abu Sayyaf militants.

The group, blacklisted by Washington as a foreign terrorist organization, is considered a major security threat to the Philippines and the region. The group is engaged in kidnappings, bombings and even beheadings in the South over the past decade.