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| Southeast Asia |
| IEDs now Jemaah Islamiah weapon of choice: expert |
| 2009-07-17 |
| STRATEGIC think tank Stratfor says Jemaah Islamiah appeared to have moved away from use of large car bombs which in the Marriott and Australian Embassy attacks in 2003 and 2004 killed far more Indonesians than foreigners In a preliminary analysis, Stratfor, a private sector intelligence group based in the US, said photos of damage at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel were consistent with the detonation of a small improvised explosive device inside the first floor bar or restaurant area. That raised the possibility the devices were delivered by a suicide bomber who entered the hotel around breakfast time, a tactic consistent with the October 2005 resort bombing in Bali. Damage to the Ritz-Carlton ground floor windows indicated glass had probably been covered in blast film which appeared to have functioned as designed in preventing windows from shattering into small pieces and becoming shrapnel, Stratfor said. It said Jemaah Islamiah was the likely suspect, despite a common perception that the group was greatly diminished by the crackdown of Indonesian authorities. "Despite their setbacks and lack of activity in recent years, this type of attack takes very few resources to carry out," it said. "Initial details indicate that the attack comprised a pair of small, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and a pair of willing suicide bombers. "JI has some very experienced bombmakers like the fugitive Noordin Mohammad Top, who are more than capable of making simple suicide devices." Startfor said JI were "heavily criticised" by the Indonesian public after the 2005 Bali bombings in which several Indonesians were killed, so the target shift to international hotels in Jakarta in these recent attacks was "quite logical". "While these may have been relatively low-budget attacks using small devices, they were well-executed. "The bombers did not get cold feet and the devices functioned, and both elements demonstrate a high level of professionalism." |
| Posted by:tipper |