American soldier killed in Filipino nail bomb attack

A master sergeant in the US army and another person were killed and 20 others, including another American, injured when a nail bomb exploded outside a restaurant frequented by military personnel in the largely Muslim southern Philippines.

In Washington, officials said there was no immediate word on those responsible. The restaurant is in Zamboanga, the base city where US troops are stationed. They helped in operations this year against the local Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which is linked with Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida group that made the September attacks on America.

That six-month offensive, focused on the rebel stronghold of Basilan island, was widely hailed as a success when it was wrapped up in July. But in recent days, several isolated attacks have been made, heightening concerns that the Abu Sayyaf presence in the southern Philippines has not been eradicated.

"We're not sure yet, but we believe it's the handiwork of terrorists," Colonel Alexander Yapching, a Filipino army spokesman told reporters. He said the bomb had been placed on a motorcyle which was driven to the restaurant and left parked in front.

The US serviceman, whose name was not disclosed, died of his wounds as he was being taken to a military hospital at Camp Navarro, the headquarters of the Filipino Southern Command in Zamboanga.

About 250 soldiers are based at Zamboanga, the remnant of the US force, 1,200 strong at its maximum, that aided the offensive. A total 272 American troops remain in the Philippines, a Pentagon spokesman said last night. Communist rebels said yesterday that they intended to continue hitting military sites and police camps, but denied they were planning to attack oil depots, shopping malls and other civilian installations.

The bombing was done in the evening, amid heavy security, as the city was preparing for a Christian festival in 10 days. The surrounding area was cordoned off and an extra guard force was posted at the gate to Camp Navarro.

A suspected al-Qa'ida member in US custody is said to have told interrogators early last month that the group and its allies in Abu Sayyaf were planning attacks on unspecified targets in the Philippines.

US military backing helped government forces inflict heavy damage on Abu Sayyaf on Basilan island, among a series of semi-covert operations mounted as the war on terrorism moved beyond Afghan-istan, to Yemen, the former soviet republic of Georgia and South East Asia.

But last month, the government said it was sending reinforcements to a second nearby island, Sulu, to wipe out an Abu Sayyaf faction there. In a year-long spate of kidnapping and violence aimed largely at foreigners, the rebel group seized 102 hostages, including three Americans.

It continues to hold seven hostages on a third island, Jolo. They include three Indonesian seamen, abducted from a tugboat in June, and four women from the Philippines who are Christian evangelists, kidnapped in August.