Army Special Forces have thwarted a plot by the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to bomb Lamitan City in Basilan, and seized a hand grenade and bomb components following a firefight with four suspected terrorists on Tuesday.
Armed Forces Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said the operation also unearthed the existence of the Urban Terrorist Group (UTG), the urban terrorism unit of the ASG.
According to Cabunoc, elements of the 4th Special Forces Battalion received a report on Monday that the ASG was planning to lay and set off a bomb in Lamitan City as part of its of intensified terrorism campaign.
The report prompted the 19th Special Forces Company based at Barangay Kulay Bato in the city to conduct security patrol.
At around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the operating troops located the hideout of the UTG and encountered four of its members under Edris Sampang, whose group operates in the areas of Tuburan, Akbar and Lamitan City.
The four terrorists escaped during the firefight, but left a hand grenade and bomb components, including a soldering iron, diodes, wire cable and even drugs paraphernalia.
“This is the same group that is behind the bombing in Basilan last week,” said Cabunoc of the Sampang group.
“We have foiled another bombing attempt,” he added.
Cabunoc said the ASG’s plan to bomb Lamitan and carry out similar activities in other parts of Basilan was to stave off the ongoing military operations against their comrades in Sulu and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao.
Earlier, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. ordered soldiers to pursue the BIFF in Central Mindanao and the ASG in Sulu.
Rene Acosta