Nine wounded in Philippine grenade attack: military

Nine people have been wounded in a grenade attack in the southern Philippines, the military said Saturday. An unidentified person lobbed the grenade into a public area in the town of Claver late Friday, said regional army spokesman Major Armand Rico. The explosion caused panic and wounded nine people, he said, adding that the the suspect has not been caught and the motive for the attack is unknown. The explosion came amid tightened security in the southern Philippines, where the military has been locked in intense gunbattles with Muslim separatist rebels since August. Dozens have been killed in the fighting with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). More than half a million people have also been forced to flee the battles, which began just days after the Supreme Court halted a deal that would have given the MILF control over a Muslim autonomous area.