Subscribe to our BlogA Car Bomb in Mexico
By William Tucker
Several media reports out of Mexico today are claiming that the Vicente Carillo Fuentes cartel detonated a vehicle borne improvised explosive device in Ciudad Juarez. The reports thus far are all over the map and have given an accurate account of what transpired. Although some of the tactical details are beginning to emerge, this post will instead focus on the bigger picture.
Mexican drug cartels have been experimenting with IED's for several years now but have only implemented them in attacks against the Federal Police and Military this year. In Mexico, as with many countries, acquiring small explosive weapons such as grenades is especially difficult. These weapons certainly have their place in small group tactics, but IED's which can be made with a variety of materials and commercial explosives allow militants to employ them in multiple scenarios. The US experience with the so-called roadside bombs in Iraq has given militants worldwide a new approach to dealing with a better equipped enemy.
Since this is a first (maybe) VBIED employed in Mexico it cannot be taken as an escalation of tactics in the stressed security environment just yet. We will have to monitor the many battles in Mexico between the authorities and the cartels to see if this is attempted elsewhere. This type of escalation would be especially dangerous since most of the battles are occurring in populated areas meaning that civilians could be caught in the crossfire.
Photo: Associated Press
Comments
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