SULTAN KUDARAT – A powerful improvised explosive planted by rebels went off late Saturday near a military post in North Cotabato’s Tulunan town in the southern Philippines, reports said.
It said the blast occurred in the village of Banayal where the army’s detachment is located. There were no reports of casualties, but the attack sent a chilling warning that even in the presence of troops in the village, rebels can easily stage attacks undetected by security forces.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but authorities suspect communist rebels or Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were responsible for the daring attack.
The bomb was assembled from a 60mm mortar and rigged to a detonator. The 39th Infantry Battalion maintains several posts in the area.
The bombing occurred after a mortar attack killed an eight-year girl and an adult man and injured three more – two teenagers and another adult – in nearby Pikit town where security forces are battling the BIFF.
The 6th Infantry Division quickly blamed the attack on the BIFF, but the rebel group pointed to the soldiers as behind the shelling. (Mindanao Examiner – Rose Muneza)
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