A Car Bomb in Southern Thailand and Other Recent Trends

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org ^ | August 25, 2009 01:48 PM | By Zachary Abuza

[Cindy]

SNIPPET: "Though car bombs are infrequently used in southern Thailand, where smaller motorcycle bombs and IEDs of roughly 5 kg are more common, there has been a trend this month towards large bombs, in the 20 kg range. For example, 20 KG IEDs were used on 19th, 20th and twice on the 21st while on 8 August a 20 kg IED hidden by the road was recovered by government forces.

While insurgents routinely employ time-delayed bombs to target security forces responding to attacks, there has been one other new trend in IEDs. On 8 August, a military bomb disposal unit found 6 IEDs fashioned out of fire extinguishers that had been wired together and connected to a single car battery. Similarly constructed bombs were used or recovered two more times this month."

SNIPPET: "Thai security forces remained hampered by their inability to successfully prosecute suspected insurgents; Over 80 percent of those captured are released."

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/thailand/index

[killjoy]

"Thai security forces remained hampered by their inability to successfully prosecute suspected insurgents; Over 80 percent of those captured are released."

This is one of the most misleading things I have read in a very long time. 80 percent of suspected insurgents are released? Sure, because most of those arrested in sweeps end up not being insurgents. I can guarantee, based on first hand knowledge, that 80 percent of actual insurgents are not released.