CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines, Oct 29, (Agencies): In an unfortunate incident on Sunday morning, Oct 29, a suspected member of Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) met his demise when an improvised bomb he was carrying prematurely detonated in Maguindanao del Sur.

Major Saber Balogan, spokesperson for the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade, reported that the explosion occurred at approximately 7:30 am in Barangay Sambulawan, Datu Salibo. According to an initial investigation by the Army, a certain individual known as "Commander Pagadian" from the DI-Torayfe Group lost his life as a result of the suspected improvised explosive device (IED) detonation.

Fortunately, no civilians were harmed in the blast, although it did unsettle the residents of Sambulawan, a populated village in Datu Salibo. In a radio interview, Balogan could not confirm whether the incident was related to the upcoming elections but emphasized that local authorities are working to determine the intended target and motive behind the IED placement.

Datu Salibo is known to be one of the areas where the Daesh-inspired DI and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) local terrorist groups are active.

Sunday's occurrence in Datu Salibo marked the second incident of a premature explosion involving a bomb courier in Maguindanao del Sur this month. On Oct 14, a local terrorist also lost his life in an accidental blast while assembling an improvised bomb in Barangay Malangog, Datu Unsay. The military identified the deceased bomb courier as Tantrex Amerudin Eskak, a BIFF member.