Iraq has top terror risk, Thai danger up: ranking

Terrorism has shot back up the global agenda since al Qaeda claimed a Dec 25. bid to down a U.S. airliner and insurgent violence remains a pressing concern as both Iraq and Afghanistan face milestones in 2010 in their search for stability.

The risk consultancy's Terrorism Risk Index shows that although security in Iraq has improved, the scale, human impact and frequency of attacks still makes it the riskiest country for political violence with nearly 4,500 civilians killed in 2009.

Violence in Thailand's restive Muslim south, such as October 6 2009 bomb attacks in Sungai Kolok that killed two and wounded 42, largely account for the country's rating of 9th, a rise from 11 the year earlier, the index of 196 countries shows.

The index based on 2009 data ranks Afghanistan second, with Pakistan and Somalia third and fourth respectively. They are rated at extreme risk along with Lebanon 5, India 6, Algeria 7, Colombia 8 and Thailand 9, a Maplecroft statement said.

The UK-based risk advisory group's index tracks the risks of an attack, the intensity of violence as measured by casualties per incident, a country's history of extremist violence and threats made against it by groups such as al Qaeda.