MANILA: Suspected rebels of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, bombed a transmission tower of the National Grid Corporation in Maguindanao yesterday, causing a blackout in the province.
BIFF men detonated the improvised explosive device at the tower in Sultan Kudarat town at 3am yesterday, said Ramon Zagala, public affairs office chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Power had been restored by noon, he said.
2,300 soldiers to be trained
MANILA: The Philippine military will host an annual interoperability training with about 2,300 American and Filipino servicemen on September 18.
The bilateral exercise called PHIBLEX focuses on air-ground and amphibious training and staff planning and create a venue to share best practices.
The US Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade will be paired with the country’s Navy, Air Force and Army units for training and community assistance.
OFWs to be brought back
MANILA: The government will undertake more cross-border repatriation operations in conflict-torn Syria to bring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to safety, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said at least 92 OFWs staying at the Philippine embassy in Damascus as of September 1 had been issued exit visas. “More cross-border repatriation operations will be undertaken in the coming days,” Hernandez said at a press briefing. “We hope to transfer them to Beirut this coming Thursday.”
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
