Troops recover roadside bomb in North Cotabato

From the Mindanao Examiner (Jun 16, 2023): Troops recover roadside bomb in North Cotabato

COTABATO CITY – Government troops recovered a roadside bomb in North Cotabato’s Pikit town in southern Philippines with security spokesman Maj. Andrew Linaw said the improvised explosive was lacking a mechanism to set it off.

Linaw said villagers tipped off the military on the presence of the explosive in the Inug-ug on Thursday, June 15 which prompted soldiers to cordon off the area as members of the bomb squad assess the situation.

“Troops immediately cordoned off the area, closed the road, and coordinated with the 33rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team for inspection and possible disruption of the IED. The EOD team further confirmed that the IED has incomplete components,” Linaw said.

He said the recovered bomb components included one unexploded ordnance, electronic wires, and a 9 volts battery. “The EOD team took the IED components to their headquarters for technical investigation and proper disposition,” he said.

Western Mindanao Command Chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, ordered an investigation to identify the instigator of this “hideous form of violence”.

“We believe that the perpetrators want to instill fear in the citizens, but we will never allow them to execute their terror ploys. Rest assured that we will continue to take preemptive and decisive actions to counter the desperate attacks of the remaining terrorists who seek to attract attention and support from the communities,” he said.

Just recently, soldiers disarmed three homemade bombs recovered in the village of Batulawan in Pikit town, and another improvised explosive in the village of Kadigasan in the neighboring town of Midsayap.

Villagers tipped off the military about the bombs following an explosion in the area. The military said the bombs were intended to blow up a steel pylon of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the failed bombings, but several Islamist groups operate in the province where several villages are under the Bangsamoro autonomous region.

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