A global threat, terribly simple

Initially, IEDs in Iraq were small charges made from individual 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds. In response to the up-armoring of American Humvees, the military8217;s primary tactical vehicles, insurgents increased the size of the bombs, using 122mm and 152mm artillery shells. They then began using multiple stacks of heavy artillery shells, or multiple launch rocket warheads. Insurgents have buried 500 and 1000 pound aircraft bombs to target heavy armored vehicles such as tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. The bombs are buried vertically, pointing upward, with the weapons8217; nose just below the surface. The hard packed dirt around the bomb focuses the explosion upwards and against the underside of the vehicle. A bomb of that size can generate a blast equivalent to 10 large anti-tank mines. A vehicle borne IED, or VBIED containing 18215;155 mm projectiles, can vaporise the vehicle and other vehicles parked nearby.

The very simplicity of IED construction foils efforts to develop a technological solution. The only vulnerable point is the remote triggering mechanism 8212; often a radio, cell phone or garage-door opener. The most successful technologies have been electronic countermeasures that jam the signals. It is not sure whether all radio frequencies can be jammed.

Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf is likely alive today because his motorcade was equipped with a bomb jammer that prevented the explosion of five radio-controlled bombs hidden on a Rawalpindi bridge last December. In the aftermath of the attack, Pakistani officials described the president8217;s bomb jammer as capable of blocking radio transmissions within 200 meters of the president8217;s limousine. When Musharraf8217;s motorcade had moved about 200 meters past the bombs, they exploded 8212; no one was hurt because the bridge had been closed to traffic. While US troops in Iraq have begun using bomb jammers, the numbers remain small.

In Iraq, the perception is that it8217;s the insurgent not the American soldiers, who has the initiative when it comes to executing these IED operations. The home-built weapons allow insurgents to strike when and where they choose, avoiding casualties and close battles with better armed, and better trained US troops. The insurgents try to discover why and at what times American patrols travel along specific routes. Insurgents have even used hoax IEDs placed in plain view so they can watch the American response and gather intelligence on security methods and bomb disposal team operations to prepare for future attacks. IED target selection is done with the intent of maximising casualties and media exposure. They target civilian SUVs, as they believe these transport American government officials and intellgence agents. They also target fuel tankers, as the flames and smoke makes for compelling television footage.

In India, even the Naxalites are gradually acquiring the expertise for manufacturing and using IEDs. There is no dearth of availability of raw material, that is, explosives, artillery shells declared obsolete etc with armed forces and on being declared obsolete finding its way to scrap dealers. The authorities have to ensure that accounting of explosive material within India is meticulous. The checking of containers containing imported war zone scrap assumes added importance considering the number of accidents which have taken place with this scrap confirming the fact that a number of explosive artillery shells get imported with the scrap since the exporting countries are keen to get rid of obsolete artillery shells ideal raw material for IEDs. All the concerned agencies need to be well informed about the use of IEDs in conflict-prone areas to derive lessons in our own context. The IED threat is looming, let us be ready.

The writer is a retired major general