Militant attack on transmission tower causes power cuts

Power outages were reported in six provinces in the Philippines on 17 March 2009 after a group of Islamist militants attacked a transmission tower. Suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) blew up the electrical tower in North Cotabato, cutting power to the provinces on the island of Mindanao. MILF fighters have also attacked other power infrastructure sites in the past as part of their ongoing insurgency against the Philippine government. There have also been reports that MILF representatives have contacted power companies to extort money to fund their militant operations.