Army operatives defuse roadside bomb

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - Army ordnance operatives promptly deactivated on Wednesday a powerful roadside bomb found along a busy thoroughfare in President Roxas town in North Cotabato.

Mayor Jaime Mahimpit, presiding chairman of the President Roxas municipal peace and order council, said they are convinced the New People’s Army (NPA) was responsible for the foiled bombing attempt.

Four NPAs were killed when a band of about a hundred rebels tried, but failed to take over the President Roxas town hall two weeks ago.

Policemen on duty managed to prevent the rebels from getting close to the town hall, killing four of them and forcing the hasty retreat of others carrying more than a dozen wounded companions.

Mahimpit said the roadside bomb deactivated by Army explosives experts was first found by vigilant passersby, who immediately reported what they discovered to the local police.

Mahimpit said the improvised explosive, placed at one side of the highway, was fashioned from a Claymor mine packed with highly explosive charges placed inside cut plastic pipes sealed with rubberized roofing sealant.

The bomb was attached to an improvised blasting mechanism that can be activated from a distance using a mobile phone.