TWO children were killed while three others were wounded in a roadside bombing in a remote village in Basilan province which authorities said was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
Major General Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief, said the explosion happened around 11 a.m. Sunday in the village of Danapah, Al-Barka, Basilan.
Galvez said the children were playing outdoors when they accidentally tripped on the improvised bomb that was placed in a trail frequently used by the residents in the area.
Galvez said the victims were rushed to the hospital but two of them died.
Galvez identified those killed as Niyadz Pising, 2, and Ombek Akbar, 5. Wounded were Pahmiya Pising, 4; Salmiya Akbar, 4; and Suraima Akbar, 25.
Galvez said the improvised bomb was placed by the Abu Sayyaf bandits to sow fear among the residents in Danapa, Al-Barka especially those who are not sympathetic to the terror group.
“This horrendous act perpetrated by the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) goes beyond savagery and stressed that victimizing innocent civilians especially children is simply unacceptable,” Galvez said.
Galvez said the Joint Task Force Basilan is currently assessing the incident together with local authorities to come up with measure to avert the recurrence of similar tragic incident.
He added that two children also died while two others were injured in a similar incident on December 2, 2016 in the village of Bohe Piyang, Al-Barka. (SunStar Philippines)