Soldiers told to take precautions

Posted to the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 25, 2020): Soldiers told to take precautions

MAGUINDANAO – The Philippine military ordered security forces to take precautions during dangerous operations following the spate of bombings carried out by pro-ISIS militants in the restive province of Maguindanao.

Three soldiers were wounded in a recent bomb explosion while clearing an area occupied by militants in the province.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the anti-terror Joint Task Force Central, said the blast occurred in the village of Salman in Ampatuan town. “Troops of the 57th Infantry Battalion were conducting combat clearing operation at the time of the explosion,” he said.

“We deployed additional troops to cordon the area and establish the circumstances,” he added.

The soldiers were rushed to a military hospital in Datu Odin Sinsuat town after medics provided first aid.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., chief of the Western Mindanao Command, tagged terrorists as behind the blast. Vinluan said he ordered heightened military operations in the town.

“Inflicting harm to our troops is the desperate device of the weakened terrorist groups to attract attention and harbor support. Rest assured that we will heighten our security operations and stay on guard against the emerging threats in our area of operation,” he said.

A roadside bomb explosion also killed one Marine and wounded four others in the village of Lipongo in Datu Hoffer town in September. The attack came barely 2 days after soldiers recovered an improvised explosive device in the village called Pimblakan in Mamasapano town, not far from Datu Hoffer.

Security forces are battling several pro-ISIS groups in Maguindanao, one of 5 provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region, which are fighting for the establishment of ISIS caliphate in the South. (With a report from Rhoderick Benez)

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