ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 11, 2012) – At least 8 soldiers were wounded following a roadside explosion in the Muslim province of Basilan on Mindanao Island where troops are guarding ongoing voter’s registration, officials said Wednesday.
Officials said the attack on the army convoy occurred late Tuesday near the village of Mangal in Sumisip town.
The soldiers were sent to secure the weeklong voter’s registration in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Prior to the bombing, special operations troops and pro-government militias clashed with unidentified gunmen in Tumahubong village, but there were no reports of casualties from both sides, said Army Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.
“Our troops were heading to central Sumisip town onboard four trucks when the explosion occurred. The convoy was hit by an IED,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
No individual or groups claimed responsibility for the attack, but Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels are actively operating in the area. (Mindanao Examiner)
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