Word: mindanao
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Welcome to Davao City, the most Livable City in the Philippines," reads a sign at the Davao International Airport. It's a bit of a stretch, given that Davao is the largest metropolis on Mindanao, the perennially troubled southern Philippine island. But in some ways Davao was indeed an oasis of peace in a troubled region. Tough-talking Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's official policy was that everyone was welcome in his city?even Islamic separatists and communist rebels?as long as they didn't indulge in violence or mayhem. Anyone in Davao who stepped out of line was dealt with...
...blast. When the smoke cleared, 21 people were dead, including Hyde, Sudang and the alleged accomplice; more than 100 others were injured. It was Asia's worst terrorist incident since October's Bali attack, which killed 202. "I've given all those sons of bitches their only place in Mindanao for R. and R. and what do they do?" complained a weary Duterte over a double brandy at a Davao bar the night after the bombing. "They blew it. Literally...
...radio station in Zamboanga to claim responsibility for the attack. Philippine authorities immediately shot his claim down. The home turf of Abu Sayyaf, which specialized in kidnapping-for-ransom before dedicating itself to jihad last year, is far away on the islands of Jolo and Basilan, southwest of Mindanao. Some suspect that the Abu Sayyaf wanted to take the blame to sound more fearsome than it currently is?or to shield the MILF, which is in peace talks with Manila. Those talks are now stalled, intensifying the sense of instability in the region: in mid-February, the Philippine armed forces...
...Intelligence sources tell Time that Salamat had, in fact, ratcheted up his jihad campaign even before that broadcast, directing the MILF's Special Operations Group (SOG) to launch retaliatory strikes in urban areas of Mindanao. The SOG attacked military targets and power transmission towers, plunging 90% of Mindanao into darkness with one explosion in late February. Cotabato City airport was bombed, too, killing one person and injuring six. Then came the attack in Davao, which the authorities are also attributing to the MILF. They claim Sudang, the suspected suicide bomber, was an MILF member, and Mayor Duterte says Sudang...
...helicopters. Meanwhile, under Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new Cabinet, which includes groups that support the settlement movement, Israeli troops seized part of the Gaza Strip to create a "security zone." Killer Blast THE PHILIPPINES A bomb that exploded at Davao City airport in the southern island of Mindanao killed 21 people, including an American missionary. Authorities said that one of the dead was a member of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who they believed was carrying the bomb, which exploded prematurely. The MILF, the country's biggest Muslim rebel group, denied responsibility for the attack. Face...