Soldier killed, another hurt as rifle grenade hits Army SAF post in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A soldier belonging to the Army’s Special Action Forces died while another was wounded when a rifle grenade, fired from nowhere, landed in a guard house Thursday evening, while they were manning a checkpoint along Notre Dame Avenue in Barangay Rosary Heights 2 here.

Colonel Ranulfo Sevilla, SAF battalion commander, said the rifle grenade landed atop the SAF guard house at about 7:30 p.m., killing one soldier and injuring another.

The Army said the two casualties were brought to the hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Manhunt operation has been on-going while bomb experts and members of the Scene of the Crime Operatives are still conducting post blast investigation.

It was the second harassment against the Army’ SAF based in Cotabato City since April.

On April 18, motorcycle-riding gunmen attempted to bomb a police outpost, a moving Army truck and a battalion detachment all within an hour here and in neighboring Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao, but missed their targets.

The attacks left a person injured. SFM (Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao)