Everyone is reporting on the car bomb in Ciudad Juarez, and how it adds a new dimension to the war on drugs. Actually, car bombs (i believe multiple) were detonated in Sinaloa in 2008. So it's not really a new dimension, more of an ugly new twist.
I think they were also used with more frequency in the MA Felix Gallardo-Rafael Caro Quintero era. I believe I read about them using car bombs at one point as an assassination method.
Based on Google News Archive, looks like, historically, revolutionary groups have used similar tactics more often than organized crime (dates might not be exact). W.r.t. to car bombs, they've either been crude and fuel-based, or under 50 lbs so, in the words of George Friedman, they're more like "bombs in cars" than "car bombs": *Insurgents or outbound foreign targets* 1959 Apr - Puerto Kino Sonora, Tigres Voladores airplane bomb 1959 Sep - D.F., Mexicana airplane bomb 1973 Sep - Guadalajara Jalisco, guerillas bomb toy store 1981 Dec - D.F., Aeronica airplance bomb (destination nicaragua) 1985 Jan - La Paz, Lloyd Aèreo Boliviano airplane bomb (destination bolivia) 1991 Aug - D.F., leftist group bombings of three corporate locations 1994 Jan - D.F. and Acapulco, EZLN bombings 2001 Aug - D.F, leftist group bombings of Banamex branches 2006 Nov - D.F., EPR bombings at PRI installations 2007 Jul - Guanajuato & Celaya Guanajuato, two EPR bombings of PEMEX gas lines 2007 Aug - Oaxaca, EPR bombing of Sears store 2007 Sep - Veracruz & Tlaxcala, two EPR bombings of PEMEX facilities
*Drug war targets* 1992 - Culiacan Sinaloa, two car bombs attempting to kill "El Mayo" Zambada 1994 Jun - Guadalajara Jalisco, 10-22 lbs, car bomb outside Camino Real hotel 2008 Jul - Culiacan, two car bombs at two residences 2008 Sep - Morelia Michoacan, grenades launched at crowd 2010 Jul 5 - Juarez, La Linea detonate car bomb, 22lbs, targetting Federal Police. 2010 Jul 19 - Ciudad Victoria Tamaulipas, Zetas detonate car bomb in front of police headquarters 2010 Aug 13 - Tamaulipas & Nuevo Leon, Zetas Grenade attacks at two Televisa stations 2010 Aug 26 - San Fernando Tamaulipas, Zetas detonate two car bombs in front of a Televisa station
Malcolm, do you have more information on the 2008 Sinaloa events? Thanks.
ReplyDeletei don't offhand, sorry. but try El Debate online, they should have reported it
ReplyDeleteI think they were also used with more frequency in the MA Felix Gallardo-Rafael Caro Quintero era. I believe I read about them using car bombs at one point as an assassination method.
ReplyDeleteOK guys, thanks. I noticed MSNBC is not covering this this morning at all.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the lovely failed state of mexico.
ReplyDeleteBased on Google News Archive, looks like, historically, revolutionary groups have used similar tactics more often than organized crime (dates might not be exact). W.r.t. to car bombs, they've either been crude and fuel-based, or under 50 lbs so, in the words of George Friedman, they're more like "bombs in cars" than "car bombs":
ReplyDelete*Insurgents or outbound foreign targets*
1959 Apr - Puerto Kino Sonora, Tigres Voladores airplane bomb
1959 Sep - D.F., Mexicana airplane bomb
1973 Sep - Guadalajara Jalisco, guerillas bomb toy store
1981 Dec - D.F., Aeronica airplance bomb (destination nicaragua)
1985 Jan - La Paz, Lloyd Aèreo Boliviano airplane bomb (destination bolivia)
1991 Aug - D.F., leftist group bombings of three corporate locations
1994 Jan - D.F. and Acapulco, EZLN bombings
2001 Aug - D.F, leftist group bombings of Banamex branches
2006 Nov - D.F., EPR bombings at PRI installations
2007 Jul - Guanajuato & Celaya Guanajuato, two EPR bombings of PEMEX gas lines
2007 Aug - Oaxaca, EPR bombing of Sears store
2007 Sep - Veracruz & Tlaxcala, two EPR bombings of PEMEX facilities
*Drug war targets*
1992 - Culiacan Sinaloa, two car bombs attempting to kill "El Mayo" Zambada
1994 Jun - Guadalajara Jalisco, 10-22 lbs, car bomb outside Camino Real hotel
2008 Jul - Culiacan, two car bombs at two residences
2008 Sep - Morelia Michoacan, grenades launched at crowd
2010 Jul 5 - Juarez, La Linea detonate car bomb, 22lbs, targetting Federal Police.
2010 Jul 19 - Ciudad Victoria Tamaulipas, Zetas detonate car bomb in front of police headquarters
2010 Aug 13 - Tamaulipas & Nuevo Leon, Zetas Grenade attacks at two Televisa stations
2010 Aug 26 - San Fernando Tamaulipas, Zetas detonate two car bombs in front of a Televisa station
I should add that this is based on searching Google archive so it's probably not exhaustive and goes up only until Aug 2010.
ReplyDelete