My hometown terrorized BOMB EXPLODES IN M’LANG; TWO KILLED, 19 INJURED

By Manny Pinol

A bomb believed to be an improved explosive device (IED) exploded inside a billiards parlor near the town plaza of M’lang in North Cotabato at 7:45 tonight killing two and injuring 19 others.

The report on the M’lang bombing was relayed to Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte by the intelligence community and this in turn was forwarded to me here in Hong Kong.

The report did not identify the fatalities and those wounded.

This is the second bombing incident in North Cotabato this month following a series of encounters between the military and suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which recently signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government.

Last week, another IED exploded near the Kabacan killing a young Bangsamoro girl and wounding several others.

The bombing of civilian populated areas following armed clashes between government forces and rebel groups is a strategy adopted by the rebels as a diversionary tactic for decades now.

Details and additional information on the bombing will be posted in this page as soon as I am able to gather these.

(Photo shows the damage done by the bombing in Cotabato City. gmanews.)