Philippine: Gunmen spring 3 bombers from jail

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Suspected Muslim guerrillas attacked an overcrowded Philippine jail by blasting a wall early Friday, allowing them to set free three suspected bombers and dozens of other inmates, officials said. At least 25 men with grenade launchers and rifles destroyed the padlocks of six cells after they barged into the North Cotabato provincial jail in southern Kidapawan city, allowing 49 inmates to escape, deputy jail warden Redentor Marasigan said. Four guards desperately put up a defense by opening fire on the attackers, setting off a brief clash that wounded at least one inmate, Marasigan told The Associated Press by telephone. The guards were quickly overwhelmed by the attackers, who used an M203 grenade launcher to punch a hole in a wall and gain entry into the one-story building, he said.