ISABELA CITY, Basilan Province (February 2, 2010) – An Army soldier was killed and 12 others were  wounded in  two separate roadside bombings Tuesday  in Sumisip, Basilan province.

Basilan Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt Antonio Mendoza said Tuesday that the first bomb exploded  about  11 AM at the village of Giong in Sumisip town, wounding four civilians, including relatives of Basilan Party-list Representative Mujiv Hataman who were then aboard a private jeep.

Hataman is running for governor in this  province against  incumbent Basilan Governor Jum Akbar,  widow of assassinated solon Wahab Akbar.
 
It was not immediately known if the bombing was in retaliation to the murder of Wahab Akbar, who was killed in a blast that ripped through a section of the House of Representatives in Manila in 2007.
 
The Akbars had tagged the Hatamans as having hand in the  killing of Rep Akbar.

Mendoza said another  bomb exploded  at 11:30 AM in the village of Libog also in Sumisip town killing  Army Corporal Bryan Ansing of the  32nd infantry battalion and wounding eight more soldiers.
 
Report said the military armored vehicle  had  turn turtle  after hitting a land mined believed to have planted by fighters of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) operating in the  municipality.

“We have reports that the Abu Sayyaf was behind the twin attacks and we are still investigating both attacks,”  Mendoza said.

He said police and military forces were sent to the town to track down the militants believed to be  headed by ASG leader Puruji Indama.

It was unknown whether the two attacks were planted by the same group or not, but the ASG has been blamed for the spate of bomb attacks and kidnappings-for-ransom in Basilan, a known stronghold of the militant group.