Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) bombed a transmission tower on Saturday in Maguindanao as the group continued terrorist activities in Central Mindanao. The explosions, however, failed to topple the tower.Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said, "The bombing did not bring a brownout, but they attempted to bring down the tower. Three of the IEDs exploded, but the tower has four steel feet, so it was not cut or toppled down. We still have electricity."
The latest attack came as the Philippine government ordered security forces to continue law enforcement operations against BIFF members wanted for the beheading of two civilians and an attack on a village in North Cotabato in September last year.
The bombing was the fourth in less than a week, and it comes in the aftermath of military operations in Maguindanao and North Cotabato less than two weeks ago wherein soldiers captured four BIFF camps and a bomb-making facility.
Military spokesman Hernando Iriberri said the attack was in retaliation by the BIFF over the loss of its four camps and over the dozens of casualties that it sustained during the operations.