Army foils Basilan bombing

MANILA, Philippines - Alert government security forces foiled an attempt by the Abu Sayyaf militants to bomb a government building in Isabela City in the island province of Basilan on Good Friday, a senior Army official reported yesterday.

Army chief, Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said that the Army’s K9 unit along with the local police while on paneling and visibility patrol detected an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in front of the Bureau of Internal Revenue office along Valderoza street at about 8:20 a.m. the other day.

The explosive device with a cellular phone as its detonator and weighing about three kilos, was placed inside a black plastic bag that also contained a lunch box.

Army and police, after securing the IED subjected the powerful bomb to a controlled detonation.

“The recovered IED was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf group as it has the same description of the IED which was discovered last April 9 also in the city,” Ortiz quoting field reports, said.

Ortiz added that the discovery of the IED only confirmed earlier intelligence reports that the homegrown Abu Sayyaf terror group has been planning to conduct bombing operations in the province.

The bombing plot is a retaliatory action of the local terrorist group in order to divert sustained military action that has been directive against them.

Since early this month combined military forces are under orders to run after homegrown terror group in the island province to derail whatever plot they may have this Lenten Week.

The militant group responded by detonating an EID inside a lodging house in Lamitan City early this month and also attempted to detonate two IEDs in Isabela City which government security forces also foiled.