Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan: Effects and Countermeasures

Abstract

Since October 2001, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs, or roadside bombs) have been responsible for many of the more than 2,000 combat deaths in Iraq, and 178 combat deaths in Afghanistan. IEDs are hidden behind signs and guardrails, under roadside debris, or inside animal carcasses, and encounters with these bombs are becoming more numerous and deadly in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The threat includes vehicle-borne IEDs, in which extremists drive cars laden with explosives directly into a target. Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to counter IEDs have proven only marginally effective, and U.S. forces continue to be exposed to the threat at military checkpoints, or whenever on patrol. IEDs are increasingly being used in Afghanistan, and DoD reportedly is concerned that they might eventually be more widely used by other insurgents and terrorists worldwide. This report will be updated as events warrant.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 25, 2006
Accession Number
ADA456446

Entities

People

  • Clay Wilson

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Aircrafts
  • Countermeasures
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Explosive Devices
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal
  • Explosives
  • Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Jammers
  • Mobile Phones
  • Personnel Management
  • Radio Frequency
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Readers

  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering