8 Scout Rangers hurt in Basilan blast—military

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Eight Scout Ranger soldiers were injured during an explosion that hit their convoy while traversing Barangay (village) Manggal in Sumisip, Basilan late Tuesday evening, a belated military report said Wednesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, said the rangers were going back to their barracks after securing election officers in connection with the general registration in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao when one of their vehicles was hit by a roadside explosion.

It was Tuesday’s second incident involving soldiers and unidentified armed men in Sumisip, he said.

Around 5:20 p.m., about five hours before the explosion, soldiers and militiamen also clashed with armed men although no casualty had been reported, Cabangbang said.