Thailand – Four Thai soldiers were killed and at least a dozen others wounded when a roadside bomb went off in the south of Thailand. The 50kg bomb was hidden in a gas canister and detonated by a mobile phone around midday on the 11 Dec 13 as an army truck approached. "Sixteen soldiers were in the army truck. The soldiers were being rotated with another unit and were about to undergo Rest and Recuperation (RAR) after operations. Southern Thailand has been plagued with unrest in recent years. More than 5,500 people have been killed in this region since 2004, with rebel groups blamed for near-daily bombings and shootings. Security personnel, those connected with the government and Muslims thought to be collaborating with the authorities are regular targets by terrorist groups. Thailand held its first official peace talks with southern armed groups but no significant breakthroughs were made.
Pakistan – A bomb explosion wounded seven paramilitary ranger officials in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on the 12 Dec 13. The incident took place in the city’s eastern neighbourhood of Landhi, close to Gulshan-e-Buner area, which is thought to be hiding militants. “A roadside remote controlled bomb planted on a motorbike went off near a vehicle carrying 10 ranger officials, wounding seven of them.” Rangers are currently taking part in a joint operation with police in Karachi aimed at cleansing the city of terrorists and other hardcore criminals including hired killers, gun runners and drug peddlers. Karachi, a city of 18 million people which contributes 42 percent of Pakistan’s GDP, has been plagued by sectarian, ethnic and political violence for years.