Improvised explosives recovered near Cotabato City hall

MANILA, Philippines – Three improvised explosive devices were recovered a few meters away from Cotabato City hall Sunday night, a regional civil defense office said.

The IEDs were inside a sack, which was found at Malagapas Dumpsite in RH-10 village at about 10p.m., the Office of Civil Defense- Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

The recovered items were fashioned from two 60-mm and one 81mm mortar cartridges, all of which were cellphone-detonated, the report added.

Recovery efforts were due to police and military’s Task Force Kutawato.

Investigation is still ongoing.

The area where the IEDs were located was only a few meters away from the People’s Palace (Cotabato City Hall), the OCD-ARMM DRRMC said.

Last week, blasts rocked Mindanao area, particularly in North Cotabato and Cotabato City, which killed at least eight people.