Grenade blast rocks Cotabato City village

COTABATO CITY — Two men riding a motorcycle detonated a fragmentation grenade before dawn on Saturday, August 30, near the residential yard of a barangay official known for openly supporting police law enforcement efforts in Cotabato City.

Col. Jibin Bongcayao, director of the Cotabato City Police Office, told reporters on Sunday, August 31, that they have enlisted the help of villagers in houses close to the residence of Al-Jaynodin Akmad Sumndad, along Tamse Road in Barangay Poblacion 4, in identifying the bombers.

The grenade exploded near the gate to the house of the Sumndad family.

The explosion damaged two vehicles parked nearby, a white Toyota Hilux pick-up truck and a gray Hyundai Accent.

No one was hurt in the grenade attack, but the explosion that reverberated through the area caused panic among residents.

Friends and relatives of Sumndad believe the bombing was intended to intimidate him due to his active involvement in the joint crime-prevention and peacekeeping operations of the units of the Cotabato City police force and the Navy’s Marine Battalion Landing Team-6 in their barangay and across the city.