Roadside North Upi barangay rocked by IED blast

MAGUINDANAO --- A powerful roadside bomb exploded prematurely along a highway in the supposedly peaceful North Upi town Monday, causing panic among local residents.In an initial statement, the Regional Police Office-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the improvised explosive device went off at about 7:30 a.m. Monday along a stretch of the Cotabato-North Upi Highway in Barangay Kibleg, fortunately empty at that time.North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang, chairman of the municipal peace and order council, has urged the local police to identify who planted the IED for them to be prosecuted for the offense.North Upi is touted as one of Maguindanao’s peaceful towns, home to mixed Muslim, Christian and Lumad residents relying on livestock raising, corn and orchard production as sources of income.Local residents are virtually unfamiliar with bombings and armed conflicts.Army intelligence sources said it is possible that the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, operating in the fashion of the Islamic State, could be responsible for the roadside bombing.Responding Army bomb disposal experts said the roadside bomb was possibly to be detonated while passenger vehicles are passing by but went off accidentally.