Boy dies, 4 hurt in IED blast in Sultan Kudarat; land dispute eyed

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Unidentified men planted and set off on Wednesday dawn an improvised explosive device that left a 10-year-old boy dead and four others hurt in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, authorities said.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, identified the fatality as Mohid Ambolodto who died from shrapnel wounds.

Wounded were the boy’s parents, Daud Ambolodto, 40, and wife Wahida, 40, and his two siblings, Moad, 14 and six-year-old Haider.

Hermoso said investigation showed that the victims were all asleep when two men crawled underneath their nipa hut, planted an improvised explosive device and hurriedly left.

From a distance, the men set off the IED using an ignition device attached to a pair of long electrical wires at about 4 a.m.

Hermoso said the Army has been helping the police determine the motive of the attack, which initially was believed to be land dispute.