Army foils bomb plot in Maguindanao

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao --- More checkpoints are being set up along the Maguindanao highway here following a week-end (June 2) foiled roadside bombing attempt by lawless elements in Ampatuan town, the military said.

Last June 2,  the military said troopers from the Army’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion pre-empted a bomb attack after  concerned civilians reported around 10:00 a.m. the discovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) along the section of the highway at Barangay Saniag in Ampatuan.

Traffic along the highway was temporarily halted for an hour as soldiers cordoned off the area for the safety of motorists.

Members of the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team of the Army conducted safety procedure that resulted in the recovery of an IED fashioned from an unexploded 105mm cannon projectile, wires, a timing device, and one 9-volt battery as trigger mechanism.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, who personally supervised the safety procedure, said that the primary goal of the bombing attempt is to instill fear to communities in the area.

Sobejana expressed appreciation to the civilians who reported the bomb discovery, encouraging them to cooperate closely with military authorities.

“We should work together for a just and lasting peace without the use of arms and violence,” he said.

Sobejana also commended the troops in the field for a job well done, reminding them to always do the best they can to protect the communities from harm. (Noel Punzalan, PNA-Cotabato/MINDANAO EXPOSE’)