Militiaman wounded by IED inside parcel

COTABATO CITY — A militiaman was injured late Monday after a parcel he believed to be a gift exploded in his hands within the premises of an Army headquarters in Lamitan City, Basilan.

Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, commander of the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, and officials from the Basilan Provincial Police Office told reporters on Wednesday that the victim was initially brought to Lamitan District Hospital, then transferred several hours later to West Metro Medical Center in Zamboanga City for further treatment.

Police investigators in Lamitan City said the parcel, containing an improvised explosive device, was delivered by a motorcycle-riding man to the victim, a member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) assigned to the 18th Infantry Battalion’s command post in the city.

The CAFGU member was on his way to bring the parcel to their barracks when it exploded, leaving him seriously injured.

Luzon and Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, had separately said that local executives and Lamitan City’s police chief, Lt. Col. Elmer Solon, are working together to bring closure to the incident.