Blast rips through bus in South

From the Mindanao Examiner (Mar 3, 2022): Blast rips through bus in South

An explosion ripped through a provincial bus while parked at a terminal in Cotabato City in southern Philippines.

Workers said the explosion occurred at the rear of the Mindanao Star Bus around 7 p.m. Wednesday. The bus just came from Davao City and was empty when the explosion occurred.

No one was wounded in the blast with people at the terminal saying the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive or a grenade. “It was good that the bus was empty when the explosion occurred,” said Sajid Gumaga, a bus conductor.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast which occurred as security forces were battling members of the Dawlah Islamiya - whose leaders pledged loyalty to the Islamic State - in the neighboring province of Lanao del Sur.

At least three terrorists and a soldier were killed in intense fighting since Tuesday in Maguing town that also left five infantrymen wounded.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front chieftain Murad Ebrahim, who is also the regional governor of the Muslim autonomous region, said security forces were fighting members of his former rebel group.

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