Soldiers deactivate bomb in Maguindanao
MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Army bomb experts deactivated on Saturday a bomb that villagers found in an abandoned hut along the highway in Datu Odin Sinsuat town.
The highway was closed to traffic by responding soldiers and policemen for more than an hour.
Local Islamic State (IS)- inspired militants are known for planting two or more improvised explosive devices (IEDs) not far from the primary bomb that they detonate when a passenger or military vehicle comes close.
The IED that the villagers found was fashioned from an 81-millimeter mortar rigged with a blasting contraption that can be detonated from a distance using a mobile phone.
Investigators said the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) could be responsible for the botched IED attack.
The BIFF, which uses the IS flag as its banner, is feared for venting ire on non-military targets to avenge losses in encounters with units of the 6th Infantry Division, which covers Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces where the group operates.
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