Soldiers defuse explosive devices found in North Cotabato

From GMA News (May 22): Soldiers defuse explosive devices found in North Cotabato

PRESIDENT ROXAS, North Cotabato -- Military bomb experts on Wednesday afternoon defused two improvised explosive devices that could have caused powerful explosions near a detachment of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit in Barangay Greenhills, a military official said Thursday.

A member of the CAFGU found the IEDs a day after New Pepople's Army insurgents attacked the town's police station, where five rebels were reported killed in the 15-minute firefight.

Capt. Manuel Gatus, 57th Infantry Battalion spokesperson, said the IEDs were believed left by the retreating insurgents.

“These [IEDs] could be intended for military reinforcements... but because the rebels failed in their attack, they just left the [explosives] in the area,” Gatus said.

Commenting on the attack on Wednesday, 57th IB's Lt. Colonel Nilo Vinluan said the rebels immediately withdrew after seeing their commander was fatally hit by a bullet during the firefight, and that personnel manning the police station in President Roxas town surprised the attackers.

“I should say that they failed in their intelligence gathering. They did not expect the police forces were prepared," Vinluan told reporters at press conference at the Cotabato Police Provincial Office on Wednesday afternoon.

Police offices in North Cotabato have been placed under red alert status for possible retaliatory attacks by the rebels to avenge the death of their commander and four comrades, Vinluan said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/362104/news/regions/soldiers-defuse-explosive-devices-found-in-north-cotabato