Three mosques bombed in southern Philippines

Bombs exploded outside three mosques in the southern Philippine city of Davao today.

Bombs exploded outside three mosques in the southern Philippine city of Davao today.

The triple blasts began at the mainly Muslim district of Tibungco in the south of Davao when five hooded men in a car hurled two grenades at a mosque and then sprayed it with rifle fire before fleeing.

There were no casualties in the attacks on the mosques.

The mosque bombings came hours after a blast in a nearby wharf killed 16 people dead and shortly before President Gloria Arroyo arrived in predominantly Christian Davao to meet investigators and inspect the damage from the blast last night.

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No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks on the wharf and the mosques, which Mrs Arroyo blamed on "terrorists".

Police said they were investigating whether the wharf bombing was connected to a similar March 4th attack on Davao international airport in which 22 people died and 150 others were injured.

That bombing was blamed on the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging a rebellion for an independent Islamic state in the south since 1978.

AFP