Militant attacks in Asia inject new urgency into U.S. bomb training

Militant attacks in Asia inject new urgency into U.S. bomb training
BY AMY SAWITTA LEFEVRE AND ANDREW R.C. MARSHALL

CHA'AM, Thailand A major Asian city is rocked by a car bomb as VIPs arrive for a summit. Nearby, a man on a motorbike detonates his suicide vest. People gather, emergency crews arrive - then a third explosion rips through the crowd.

That's the all-too-familiar scenario recently presented to a select group of Southeast Asian police officers at a U.S.-funded training course on investigating blast scenes.

The two-week course, taught by experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), is held at least once a year in Thailand. But recent events have added new urgency to an otherwise routine training.

On Jan. 14, just days after the course began, Indonesian militants launched an attack in central Jakarta with pistols and homemade bombs. Eight people died, including the four militants.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southeastasia-security-idUSKCN0UZ33Z


-- Reuters 2016-01-22