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Col. Marlou Salazar, commanding officer of the 601st Infantry Brigade based in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, told media here the recovered IED was fashioned from a 60-mm mortar ammunition, which contained a 9-volt power source, a switch, and a timer. Elements of the Army’s 46th Infantry Battalion discovered the nylon-wrapped IED, placed along the highway in Barangay Bagan in Guindulungan town, while scouring the area at around 8 a.m., on Thursday.
A few hours later, an Army Captain identified only by his surname as Senoron led an Explosives and Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team in defusing the bomb.
Salazar, in a statement issued to media on Friday, blamed the rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the explosive.
“Use of improvised landmines has already been banned by so many international agreements on the conduct of wars. These [rogue] MILF rebels have violated these laws for planting an IED along the highway,” said Salazar adding, “We consider this a terror act out to endanger the lives of innocent civilians.”MILF civil-military affairs chief Eid Kabalu could not be reached for comment. (Malu Cadelina-Manar/MindaNews)