AFP vows to tap all resources to crush terrorism

FILE: Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday vowed to use all its available resources against terrorists.

“(Whether they are) foreigner(s) or Filipinos, if they pose (a) threat to our people, if they endanger the lives of our people (and) security of (our) people, the AFP will use all its resources in order to crush and defeat them because terrorism has no place in our country,” AFP spokesperson Col.

Edgard Arevalo said in a radio interview Friday.

Arevalo made the remark in the wake of reports claiming that the driver of the van that exploded at a military checkpoint in Basilan province last Tuesday was a Moroccan national.

He said an investigation is still ongoing regarding Tuesday’s incident.

Arevalo said authorities have yet to identify the driver of the van that was loaded with improvised explosives devices (IEDs), which exploded near a military checkpoint in Lamitan City, Basilan, killing himself and nine others and wounding seven more people.

The van exploded while troops were about to inspect the vehicle at a checkpoint in the boundaries of Barangays Bulanting, Colonia and Maganda in Lamitan City.

“Sana po dahan-dahan tayo sa pag-jump into conclusions sapagkat ‘yang pong nagsasabi na yan po ay foreigner, ‘yan ay Morrocan, wala po kasi makapagsabi eh kung sino talaga ito dahil yung mismong nag-iisang driver at passenger nitong sasakyan namatay po siya nung pagsabog ng bomba (Let’s all be careful in jumping into conclusions because all those claiming that the person was a foreigner, a Moroccan in particular, nobody could tell because the driver died when the IED exploded),” Arevalo said.