9 dead as militants attack tourist island

Incursion the first on a key Philippine tourist destination in recent years by the group which pledges allegiance to the Islamic State

MANILA: Nine people including four members of the Philippine security forces were killed yesterday in clashes with 10 suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap group on the resort island of Bohol, authorities said.

The incursion would be the first on a key Philippine tourist destination in recent years by the group which pledges allegiance to the Islamic State and often targets foreigners in the lawless southern Mindanao region.

Five gunmen were killed, and four assault rifles and an improvised explosive device were recovered in the fighting on Bohol island, officials said.

The incident took place in a remote area, with local officials saying the militants had used fast boats to reach a village where they squared off against security forces

The US Embassy has received unsubstantiated yet credible information that terrorist groups may attempt to conduct kidnappings in Central Visayas, which includes both Cebu and Bohol provinces. US Embassy

who went to investigate.

US and Australian embassies had warned their citizens this week about possible kidnappings by ‘ terrorist groups’ specifically on Bohol and Cebu islands.

“The US Embassy has received unsubstantiated yet credible information that terrorist groups may attempt to conduct kidnappings in Central Visayas, which includes both Cebu and Bohol provinces,” the US advisory said.

Security forces have been on alert for “potential activity on the part of some lawless elements” during the peak Easter tourist season, military spokesman Brigadier- General Restituto Padilla said.

“Our forces who were acting on this information were able to engage these lawless armed groups that are believed to be part of the Abu Sayyaf group from Mindanao,” he said on ABS- CBN television.

Bohol is a mere 30 minutes’ boat ride away from the major port of Cebu on Cebu island, which is also among the country’s top tourist draws. The attack came as millions of Filipinos head to resort locations for the holidays.

Bohol is famous among foreign tourists who swim with docile whale sharks and marvel at tiny primates called tarsiers, go on cruises aboard boats on crystalclear rivers and lounge on its beaches.

“Security forces reported that the armed group is well- armed with heavy- calibre weapons, but now cornered in an isolated section” of Bohol, military chief of staff General Eduardo Ano said.

The gunmen sailed into the Bohol town of Inabanga on Monday, going upriver toward a remote section of the island aboard three fast boats, Inabanga police officer Edwin Melicor told AFP by telephone.

Residents told police the type of boats were used only in Mindanao – where the Abu Sayyaf is based.

A clash broke out as police went to investigate early yesterday, Melicor added. The military later poured in reinforcements. — AFP