Army foils bombing attempt in Maguindanao

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Philippines — Security forces on Saturday foiled a bombing attempt in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province when they found an improvised explosive device (IED) in the subvillage of Masalay in Barangay Matagobong of the municipality, a military official said.

Col. Oriel Pangcog, commander of the Philippine Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade headquartered in Tacurong City in Maguindanao’s neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat, said elements of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion found the IED in a cornfield at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, a few meters from the highway in Matagobong.

The recovered IED, made from an 81-millimeter high explosive antipersonnel mine, a battery and electric blasting cap, was safely deactivated by Army bomb experts, he added.

“This kind of explosive, if not properly disposed of, could destroy properties and cause the loss of innocent lives,” said Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division operating in Central Mindanao.

Uy, also the commander of the Joint Task Force Central, an anti-insurgency campaign in the region, urged the public to immediately report to government authorities any suspicious and unattended objects near them or their communities.

“With the community, local government units and security forces working together, we can attain peace and security and a harmonious and prosperous community,” he said.

—EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ

RELATED STORIES

Army foils Maguindanao bombing plot, kills 4 gunmen

Maguindanao roadside bombing kills cop, driver; hurts 4 others

Army seizes 14 IEDs, foils BIFF bombing plots in Maguindanao