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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/04 December) – A soldier was killed while another was injured Monday morning in a roadside bombing in the hinterlands of Basilan province, Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said today.
Cruz disclosed that troops from the 3rd Scout Ranger Company were conducting security patrol around 7:50 a.m. Monday along the circumferential road in Barangay Cabangalan, Ungkaya Pukan when the improvised bomb exploded.
He said the explosive was set off by a cellular phone, citing that fragments of a mortar shell and cellphone parts were recovered from the explosion site.
Cruz identified the slain soldier as Corporal Mark Dandin Gomez, who died while undergoing medical treatment.
Wounded and airlifted to the Camp Navarro General Hospital (CNGH) was Private First Class John Garde, the official said.
Cruz said a joint military and police investigation is still going on to establish the identity of the perpetrators.
Despite the incident, Cruz ordered the troops to continue their security operations to protect the villagers from harassments and intimidation by lawless elements. (MindaNews)