Davao, Philippines
A bomb exploded at an airport in the Philippines’ second-biggest city, Davao, killing at least 20 people, including an American. It was the deadliest in a series of bombings on the southern island of Mindanao, where Muslim rebels have been trying for 25 years to split away from the mostly Catholic country. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called the airport attack “a brazen act of terrorism which will not go unpunished.” She has been negotiating with the U.S. to send troops to fight in the separatist region, where in addition to the Muslim rebels, an al Qaida–linked group, Abu Sayyaf, operates. U.S. Special Forces are already on Mindanao to train Philippine soldiers.
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