The military here foiled another attempt by suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to set off improvised bombs along portions of Cotabato-Gen. Santos highway, the Army said Wednesday.
Colonel Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the two powerful improvised explosives were first noticed by a civilian at past 2 p.m. along Barangay Maitumaig, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao.
The civilian quickly informed the soldiers at a nearby roadside Army detachment of the 45th Infantry Battalion who quickly shut down the highway to ensure the safety of commuters.
Hermoso said the two IEDs were fashioned from 105 howitzer cannon rounds with mobile phone as trigger mechanism.
Army bomb disposal team members safely defused the bombs which were discovered a day after suspected BIFF set off two bombs as the convoy of military vehicle was passing by Monday morning.
After the blast, the BIFF opened fire, killing two soldiers and wounded two others.
Although outnumbered, the escorts of Colonel Gener Del Rosario, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander, managed to return fire and killed four BIFF guerrillas.
Responding elements of the 45th IB also launched manhunt against the suspects who fled toward the borders of Datu Unsay, Shariff Aguak and South Upi, all in Maguindanao.
Lieutenant Colonel Donald Hongitan, 45th IB chief, said the two IEDs found and defused Tuesday could be another attempt by BIFF to ambush government forces passing along the national highway.
He also urged the residents to alert soldiers manning checkpoints should they find something unusual and something that looked like a bomb to save lives.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=643374
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