Colombia Suicide Bombers?

[NousDefionsDoc]

04/03/16 – Bogota
Police sources reported the capture of Luis Hipolito Ospina, allegedly a senior member of the FARC. Ospina reportedly speaks Arabic, German and English and has traveled extensively abroad, and was attempting to indoctrinate 22 youths as suicide commandos.
No evidence to support the claim was presented. Police officials said there was no evidence that Ospina or the FARC had developed ties to Islamic extremist groups such as al-Qaida.

[lrd]

A Bolivian blows himself up in congress building

LA PAZ, March 30 (Xinhuanet) -- A jobless Bolivian miner with dynamite entered the country's congress building and blew himself up on Tuesday, killing two police officers and injuring 10 others,the police said.

The 47-year-old miner, identified as Eustaquio Pichacuri, walked into a section of the congress building for visitors around midday. He detonated several sticks of dynamite as security guards tried to stop him.

The building was immediately evacuated.

Interior Minister Alfonso Ferrufino said the miner also has a backpack with more dynamite, which had been detonated safely later.

Speaking on television and radio, President Carlos Mesa urged Bolivians to be calm.

Claiming the miner a desperate man, the president said the bomber acted alone and without political motivations other than his demand for early retirement benefits.

An hour after the congressional blast, another explosion was heard in downtown La Paz but there were no reports of injuries.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1394523.htm

[NousDefionsDoc]

First case in LATAM that I am aware of if its true.

[NousDefionsDoc]

And it is true, all over the front page of La Razon

http://www.la-razon.com/fotos_portal/1040331.jpg

[lrd]

A little more information: http://www.livinginlatinamerica.com/...s/000209.shtml

[lrd]

Update/summary: http://www.livinginlatinamerica.com/...s/000210.shtml

Ending with this quote:

In response to the Picachuri case, the association of un-pentioned ex-mine workers (representing almost 2,500 miners) will march on La Paz to enforce their demands. They're upset w/ the current pension structure. They consider themselves the "generation sandwich" after pension restructuring in the wake of state deregulation. There's an estimated 35,000 members of "generation sandwich" (most unemployed) — of which 30,000 are older than 55. The first week of February, one group seized Pension offices in La Paz; the same occurred in Santa Cruz in March.

Solares has announced that "the [popular] bases" have heard the calling of the COB leadership. Picachuri's death has inspired other miners to take similar action — more than 2,000 are now marching on La Paz, arriving later today. The miners claim that they will "take individual or collective actions of sacrifice."

[Ockham's Razor]

RE: AQ

One of my greatest sources of concern lies on the continents of Africa and South America. Our enemies are wise to the world. They see vast areas where they can train and stay hidden due to the environment and socio/politcal situations. Economic as well, but that is a very distant 3rd.

The reason goes beyond AQ. As I think this has almost moved beyond AQ. AQ is no longer a greater threat as a group, but the exportation of it's ideology is. AQ is still a threat, but the greater threat is their methods and planning. It seems so easy for any group somewhat of the same thought process to simply adopt their T&T, and any attacks they carry out are directly linked to AQ. Smaller groups can reap great benefits from this as they can't deal with force on force action so they can blend back into the ether to plan the next attack. Larger groups might claim responsibility and use it to align themselves with the AQ ideology and enhance recruiting.

It almost seems like AQ has become a simplistic moniker to place blame so that people understand. The same might be said for Zarqawi with regard to Iraq. That is logical on many levels. How many people have heard of the several dozen groups involved in factional fighting across the globe? For simplicity sake, it seems that it is easier to place blanket blame rather than try to explain to people that it's more complicated than one man or group.

They might be learning about the effectiveness of spreading themselves to such an extent, all groups who intend to use AQ tactics, across such a wide area that we find ourselves in the Rumsfeld scenario. "There are no good targets in Afghanistan." He wasn't wrong. In our new war, the enemy seems very able to adapt new tactics faster than we can react, in some cases. Of course, we'll catch up and rout them, but if their new tactics, as I fear, is to spread out in such a way that we have to be deployed on every continent (Yes, we already are) to such an extent as to spread us thin in the short run. The only thing they are doing is delaying the inevitable demise of their effort. However, it does make it increasingly more difficult to track them and destroy them. The end result will be the same, IMHO, but I hope that they are not making these moves as fast as I think they are.

I'm satisfied that those who make the decisions share the same concerns as me and are making the best moves to assure victory. (Not that my satisfaction is of any great concern.) We'll win, the enemy just has the luxury of being highly mobile... for now. If Afghanistan taught only one lesson, and it taught many, it was that States who Sponser these fools will cease to exist. That is a significant step, IMHO. No matter what jungle or continent, they are safe nowhere, and will find no refuge from any government that wants to stay in power. I think this will prove the case in SA.