Army bags MILF ‘demolition man’ with powerful bomb

COTABATO CITY — A demolition expert of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was arrested while trying to transport a powerful bomb from a remote town in North Cotabato to Kidapawan City yesterday .

Army troops stopped Abu Hashim Solaiman along the highway aboard a motorcycle registered in the name of a popular politician in a "hostile" North Cotabato town.

The bomb was fashioned from B-40 rockets and an 81-mm. mortar projectile, military investigators said.

Records obtained by The STAR from military sources show that Solaiman is a foreign-trained bomb expert who knows a lot about time-delayed and command-detonated explosives.

"Initially (Solaiman) has confessed to his plan of bringing the explosives found in his possession to Kidapawan City," said a police intelligence source.

Solaiman, who is believed to be a follower of Ustadz Shamier, a brother of MILF chieftain Hashim Salamat, has been turned over to the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

A senior Army intelligence officer, who sought anonymity, said he could not identify the politician while police are interrogating Solaiman.

"It appears that there is a big group behind the operation of these demolition experts," he said.

Army Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said Army intelligence is verifying Solaiman’s reported links with extortion gangs blamed for the spate of bombings in Central Mindanao.

Kidapawan City is still reeling from the bombing of a bus terminal last Oct. 10 which killed seven people and seriously wounded 24 others.

Police have arrested three suspects in separate operations.

In Zamboanga City meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya, Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) chief, said the military is ready to dismantle new MILF camps set up in violation of the interim government-MILF agreement.

"As soon as we discover a (newly established camp), we will dismantle it," he said.

Abaya said Southcom has already filed a complaint before the Committee on Cessation of Ceasefire and Hostility and the government peace panel about the setting up of new MILF structures.

"From the appearances, these (MILF structures) are new ones built in the tens of hectares land area," he said.

Troops have also monitored Abu Sayyaf forces in MILF camps, he added.

However, Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, said the military offensive against MILF camps was a violation of the interim agreement. – With Roel Pareño