Terrorism in The Philippines - 2006

Muslim extremists killed at least six people on a farm in Patikul, a small town on Sulu Island, near Jolo. Abu Sayyaf gunmen opened fire on a group of people, killing a 9-month-old Melanie Patinga and seriously wounding a three-year old boy and five others. Also killed were Emma and Pedro Casipong, Itting Pontilla and Selma Patinga. According to eyewitnesses the attack was motivated by religion, as survivors told military investigators that the attackers asked them for their religion, soon after opening fire on the Christians.

A homemade bomb explodes inside a convenience store owned by a Church-run cooperative in downtown Jolo on Sulu Island, killing 9 and severely injuring 20 more. Security officials said the blast ripped through the Sulu Consumer's Cooperative Store around 1:15 p.m, the explosion so powerful that it totally destroyed the facade of the building and threw debris across the street. Those killed were mostly Muslim and employees. The blast coincided with the government operation against Abu Sayyaf militants.

Six people were killed in a blast in Shariff Aguak town as a bomb, planted in a van parked in front of a public market, exploded at around 7 a.m. while Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan's six-vehicle convoy was passing by. Senior Superintendent Akmad Mamalinta stated one of the vehicles in the governor's 10-vehicle convoy was also destroyed, killing two aides, a niece and a close friend of Ampatuan. A fifth fatality was a nephew of Maguindanao Congressman Simeon Datumanong, while a male passerby injured in the blast died later in hospital.

A bomb exploded in a public market in Tacurong City, a predominantly Christian agricultural region in Sultan Kudarat, killing two women and injuring at least 4 others. A guard reportedly found the bomb in a bag filled with packets of corn chips and attempted to remove it from a crowd before it exploded, preventing more casualties. The bomb was described as being formed from a mortar round and remotely triggered by cell phone, however it apparently went off prematurely.

A bomb exploded at around 8 p.m. in front of the town hall of Makilala town in the southern part of North Cotabato province, killing 6 and injuring at least 42 others. The bomb exploded nearby a row of commercial stalls and a carnival during celebrations of Makilala's founding anniversary. Quoting witnesses, the North Cotabato Provincial Police Chief stated an unidentified man carrying a plastic bag was seen visiting a stall selling alcohol in a crowded area along a highway, the explosion occurred minutes later. The powerful explosion destroyed a row of stalls, two motorcycle taxis and left a deep crater in the asphalt road, the Police Chief said. The following day, another bomb was defused by the authorities nearby.