Sayyaf rigs military post with IED

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels have rigged a military detachment with an improvised explosive in the southern Philippine town of Patikul, a day after they bombed a convoy full of soldiers on a village there.

The explosive device - assembled from mortar bombs - was discovered in the village of Bonbon and immediately disarmed by soldiers.

Abu Sayyaf rebels also detonated a roadside bomb last week while a convoy of military trucks were passing and wounding 7 soldiers, according to the military.

The wounded soldiers – all members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 – were brought to Zamboanga City.

It was not immediately known why the military failed to prevent the bombing despite a series of Abu Sayyaf attacks on government troops there. The military has sent thousands of troops to Sulu to fight the Abu Sayyaf ahead of the May elections.

The town’s mayor Khabir Hayudini cannot be reached for comment on the spate of violent attacks in Patikul. The Abu Sayyaf is fighting for a separate Islamic state and has pledged allegiance with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.