4 soldiers wounded by exploding IEDs in Marawi

MARAWI CITY—Four soldiers conducting clearing operations in areas where fighting between government troops and terrorists happened in this city were wounded by exploding bombs, military reports said.

Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the Joint Task Group Ranao, said government troops were doing mopping up operations on Oct. 29 and 30 when the blast happened.

Brawner said traps, made from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), were laid down by Maute gunmen at the height of the fighting.

He said the wounded soldiers were among those trying to clear buildings previously occupied by the gunmen in preparation for the return of displaced residents.

Lt. Col. Manuel Garcia, commander of the Army’s 4th Civil Relations Group, said soldiers continued to recover and dispose of IEDs recovered from battle areas.

Garcia said bombs left behind by militants and unexploded ordnance were being detonated because it would be more dangerous to pluck these out of areas where these had been planted or found. —RICHEL UMEL