Army bomb experts foil BIFF bombing attempt

SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines — Army bomb experts on Wednesday promptly defused a powerful roadside bomb planted by suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) at a busy spot in a farming village in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

The bombing attempt was preceded by an explosion Tuesday night near the headquarters of the 6th Civil-Military Operations Battalion of the 6th Infantry Division at the strategic PC Hill in the center of Cotabato City.

No one was hurt in the bombing, also blamed on the outlawed BIFF, but the incident triggered panic among folks in the surroundings.

The improvised explosive device found at Barangay Maligaya near the town proper of Columbio was fashioned from explosive powders packed in a cylindrical container full of jagged cast iron fragments.

The IED was rigged with a blasting mechanism that can be set off from a distance.

Police investigators and Army intelligence operatives managed to immediately clear the spot where the IED was found from villagers after learning of its presence from farmers.

Responding bomb experts safely disposed the IED off after a 30-minute operation.