IED blast rocks Sultan Kudarat anew

Police and military personnel surround the public market in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat after a powerful IED blast Saturday morning, Sept. 7. (Photos contributed by Joseph Sarmiento)

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines – Several people were reported injured when unidentified suspects set off an improvised explosive device (IED) at the public market here Saturday morning.

Lt. Colonel Junie Buenacosa, Isulan police director, said the blast came shortly before 7 a.m. in front of the public market along the national highway.

Isulan is the provincial capital of Sultan Kudarat.

“The suspected IED was placed along the row of habal-habal,” Buenacosa said, referring to motorcycles for hire.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

A traffic enforcer was seen lying at the blast site, and was rushed to the hospital by police.

Parked motorbikes were in total disarray.

Last year, two successive bombings hit the town, leaving five people dead and 45 others hurt.

In April this year, another IED went off in front of a chicken barbecue stall also in the same stretch of the national highway.

Police and military authorities blamed the Islamic State (IS)-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters for these previous attacks.  /muf