LESS than a day after the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, ordered military forces in Central Mindanao to wipe out the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a homemade bomb lobbed by a man believed to be a BIFF guerrilla exploded on a busy highway in Cotabato City.
The blast occurred just 12 hours after Catapang visited Central Mindanao.
During his visit, Catapang ordered military commanders to hasten the operations against lawless groups in the region, particularly the BIFF whom he dubbed as a “spoiler of peace.”
Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, public affairs officer of the Army’s Sixth Infantry Division (GID), said the latest attack in the series of harassments and terrorist activities by the BIFF occurred at around 6 p.m. on Thursday along Sinsuat Avenue, particularly infront of a Petron gasoline station at the crossing of Luna Street, Cotabato City.
During the explosion, two persons identified as Leslie Encina, 18, and Kristel Mae Uy, 20, were wounded. They were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.
Petinglay said the explosion was witnessed by soldiers who were onboard a military vehicle that was incidentally passing by.
According to the public affairs officer, one of the soldiers saw a man throwing a package that exploded on the highway.
She said the bomb was made from a 60mm high explosive mortar shell, hinting that it was the handiwork of the BIFF which had used similar type of explosive in its previous terrorism attacks in the region.
On Thursday morning Catapang visited the 6ID and ordered its commander, Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, and other military commanders in the area to step up their operations against all lawless groups operating in the region, including the BIFF.
On Monday suspected members of the BIFF members led by a certain Commander Obetin detonated a homemade bomb near a primary school in Kabacan, North Cotabato, that wounded 16 people and killed Monique Mentawil, 19.
On Tuesday heavily armed BIFF members led by Commander Abunawas also attacked a Christian community at Sitio Lunok, Barangay Baliki, Midsayap, at around 10 p.m. but the villagers engaged the attackers in a gun battle.
On Wednesday an Army patrol briefly clashed with BIFF members at around 9 p.m. in Maguindanao.
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