The scene is by now all too familiar for those acquainted with coverage of modern war. A bird’s-eye view frames two figures ambling about below, then charts the path of an improvised explosive charge as it tumbles down, impacting with a puff of smoke and an explosion that is felt, not heard, through the camera feed, sending the two figures scrambling for cover.
But this episode does not come from the trenches of eastern Ukraine, nor the urban devastation of Syria or Gaza. It is of a clash between rival transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) taking place in Mexico, and is just one of dozens like it showcasing how criminals have rapidly taken to the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to supplement their operations. The adoption of drones by TCOs is the latest example of how powerful criminal networks often borrow from military and insurgent tactics to challenge the state.
Read more…
Source: CSIS News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Pakistan: Five injured in grenade attack on house in Balochistan’s Pasni
March 11, 2026
Five labourers from Sindh were injured in a grenade attack on a house in the coastal town of Pasni late Tuesday night, police said. Unknown people riding motorbikes hurled a grenade at a residential quarter in Ward No. 9, resulting in an explosion in the house’s courtyard, according to police reports. As a result, five people ...
- Middle East: Three more vessels hit by projectiles in Strait of Hormuz
March 11, 2026
Three more vessels have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security and risk firms said on Wednesday, bringing the number of ships struck in the region since the Iran conflict began to at least 14. Shipping along the narrow strait has come to a near standstill since the United States and ...
- Hong Kong: Police deal with hand grenade found in Happy Valley
March 11, 2026
A police bomb disposal team safely dealt with a suspected grenade found in Happy Valley on Wednesday. Officers said they were called at around 1.40pm over the discovery on a slope along Stubbs Road. The device, which was said to be around the size of a lemon, was believed to be a British hand grenade. The ...
- California: Homemade explosives found in probationer’s car near sheriff’s office in Placer County
March 11, 2026
Authorities arrested a probationer after investigators discovered homemade fireworks and explosive devices inside his vehicle parked near the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. According to the sheriff’s office, just after 2 p.m. Feb. 4, the Placer County Probation Department contacted the sheriff’s office about a probationer suspected of possessing illegal fireworks. PCSO stated that its members of ...
- Germany: Dresden to evacuate 18,000 people after discovery of WWII bomb
March 10, 2026
Around 18,000 people must evacuate an area of central Dresden by 9 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday after a World War II bomb was discovered near a city, police said on Tuesday. The fire brigade said two suspicious objects were found on the banks of the Elbe river near the Carola Bridge. Investigators later confirmed that ...
- New York: ‘Suspicious device’ found in vehicle in Manhattan tied to NYC protest investigation
March 10, 2026
The NYPD found a “suspicious device” in a vehicle in Manhattan on Sunday, March 8, that officials said is connected to their investigation into improvised explosive devices thrown into the crowd at protests outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. Why you should care: The NYPD announced the discovery around 4:30 p.m. Sunday. “The NYPD has identified a ...
- Thailand: Roadside bomb injures two in Yala’s Bannang Sata after spray-painted messages found
March 10, 2026
A roadside bomb in Bannang Sata district wounded two people Tuesday morning after spray-painted messages were found at three locations on nearby roads. At about 07:00, district authorities were informed by village heads that spray-painted messages had been found at three locations, apparently intended to create a disturbance Later, at about 09:50, while officials were inspecting ...
- New York: Two men charged for throwing makeshift bombs near the NYC mayor’s home
March 10, 2026
Two Pennsylvania men on Saturday followed the route taken by thousands as they crossed the George Washington Bridge into New York City. But less than an hour later, their trajectory took a dark turn as they were arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home. Emir Balat, 18, and ...
- Belgium: Liège synagogue rocked by explosion in ‘antisemitic’ attack
March 9, 2026
An explosion struck a synagogue in the Walloon city of Liège early Monday morning, causing material damage in an “act of antisemitism,” officials said. No one was injured or killed. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever condemned the attack on social media: Belgium’s federal judicial police anti-terrorism unit and the federal prosecutor’s office are investigating the ...
- Niger: Terror attack rocks Tahoua air base
March 9, 2026
Air Base 401 at Tahoua Airport in Niger was the target of a terrorist attack on the night of Sunday, March 8, to Monday, March 9, 2026. Several assailants were neutralised and five suspects arrested, according to Niger security sources. The regional governor visited the scene of the attack to assess the damage and commend the ...
- Bangladesh: 6 crude bombs recovered near judges’ entrance of Supreme Court
March 8, 2026
Six crude bombs (cocktails) have been recovered from beside the main entrance used by judges at the Supreme Court in the capital, Dhaka. The bombs were recovered today, Sunday, around 1:30 pm. Police said six unexploded black-coloured crude bombs were found lying on the right side of the judges’ main entrance gate. The bomb disposal unit ...
- Norway: Explosion at US embassy in Oslo causes minor damage
March 8, 2026
The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion early Sunday, according to Norwegian police who said the blast caused minor damage but no injuries. “We’ve determined that an explosion hit the American embassy,” Oslo police spokesperson told NRK. Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion near the embassy compound in western Oslo at around 1 a.m. ...
- Peru: Over 30 hurt in nightclub explosion in Trujillo
March 7, 2026
An early morning explosion at a nightclub in northwestern Peru injured at least 31 people, authorities said on Saturday. The government of Peru’s La Libertad region said hospitals were treating individuals after the blast at the nightclub in Trujillo, which authorities are investigating. Four people are in grave condition, the newspaper La Republica said, citing the ...
- UK: Four people arrested under National Security Act
March 6, 2026
Four people have been arrested as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into suspected National Security Act offences. The men were arrested on Friday, 6 March on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act, 2023. The country to which the investigation relates is Iran. Detectives from ...
- Iran’s cluster missiles scatter bombs and destruction across Israel
March 4, 2026
Iran has launched multiple ballistic missiles at Israel carrying cluster bomb warheads during the ongoing conflict, indiscriminately spreading small bombs in wide areas of the country. The warhead of such missiles opens up while descending and scatters between 24 and up to 80 smaller munitions with around 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of explosives, in a radius ...
- UK: Man convicted of attempted murder after explosive device found in Borehamwood
March 4, 2026
A 38-year-old man has been convicted of attempted murder after a homemade explosive device was discovered beneath a vehicle on a residential driveway in Borehamwood last summer. Robert Kovacs, of Tenby Road, Edgware, was found guilty on Tuesday (3 March) following a trial at St Albans Crown Court. The jury convicted him of attempted murder, making ...
- Ohio: Man sentenced for taking explosive device to area sports complex
March 4, 2026
James River Phillips, 21, was sentenced to three years of probation for illegally transporting explosive materials. As previously reported by News Center 7, Phillips was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force after investigations in Mason, Oxford, and Liberty Township. Federal court documents indicate that Lebanon police discovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) around 12:30 ...
- Sweden: Hand grenade left outside car dealers in Malmö
March 4, 2026
After an alarm was raised about a suspected explosive device left outside a car dealership in Malmö, Wednesday morning, police have confirmed that the object was a live hand grenade. A large area had been cordoned off this morning, affecting local rush hour traffic. Police are now interviewing staff at local companies in the area and ...
- US launches military operations in Ecuador
March 3, 2026
U.S. forces have launched military operations with Ecuador against “designated terrorist organizations” inside the South American country, Southern Command said Tuesday. The military released no details on the operations but suggested in a statement that it was an extension of strikes carried out by the Trump administration against suspected drug trafficking organizations in the region. Read more… Source: ...
- Mediterranean Sea: Fire Aboard Russian LNG Carrier Near Malta
March 3, 2026
A Russian LNG carrier that has been sanctioned and operates in the shadow fleet is reported to be ablaze and drifting in the Mediterranean after one or more explosions. Official sources in Malta confirmed the fire and evacuation of the vessel after videos of the incident were circulating online. Speculation was suggesting the vessel was attacked ...
- Syria: Two Internal Security personnel killed, three injured in mine explosion in Daraa
March 3, 2026
Two members of Syria’s Internal Security Forces were killed and three others injured on Tuesday in a landmine explosion in the city of Al-Sanamayn in Daraa countryside. A security source told SANA that the incident occurred during a patrol near the site of the former Ninth Division, where personnel detected anti-personnel mines and improvised explosive devices ...
- Nepal: Army disposes of suspicious object in Rautahat
March 3, 2026
A bomb disposal squad of the Nepali Army disposed of a suspicious item found on the Rajpaida‑Thalahitole road on Tuesday morning. The item, discovered inside a sack about 200 metres south of a school in Rajpaida, caused panic among locals. The area had been cordoned off overnight by joint security forces. The army’s bomb disposal team ...