Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Afghanistan Troops Face Smarter, Fiercer IEDs

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 15, 2009 8:05 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – The war in Afghanistan is getting deadlier for both coalition troops and Afghan forces, reports James Dao in the New York Times, mostly because of an increase in homemade bomb attacks—465  in May alone. The IEDs—improvised explosive devices—are getting more sophisticated as well as more common, and are spread through the country via a complex network of bombmakers and distributors. The Pentagon is sending thousands of robots, dogs, and IED-resistant vehicles—but also targeting the networks themselves.

The IED networks, overseen by the Taliban, involve logistical experts, financiers, weaponry designers and, at the bottom of the ladder, villagers or farmers paid a pittance to plant the explosives. The military is trying to use Afghan intelligence and forensic analysis to dismantle the networks, although success so far has been limited. "I’m not interested in the triggerman," says a lieutenant leading an anti-bomb effort. "He’s usually some poor schlep just trying to feed his family. It’s the networks we’re after."

A deminer looks for mines in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan.
A deminer looks for mines in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, file)
Hungarian soldiers with the US-led coalition clear a road from possible improvised explosive devices near Tangi Murch in central Afghanistan, Monday, July 6, 2009.
Hungarian soldiers with the US-led coalition clear a road from possible improvised explosive devices near Tangi Murch in central Afghanistan, Monday, July 6, 2009.   (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
A coalition solder secures an area for the take off of a German helicopter transporting new troops to the military base in Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan, Monday, July 13, 2009.
A coalition solder secures an area for the take off of a German helicopter transporting new troops to the military base in Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan, Monday, July 13, 2009.   (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
JonmarkP
Jul 16, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
What the FUCK are US soldiers doing dying in Afghanistan, Obama? I know you don't have the balls to stand up to the war profiteers, the Pentagon and the oil cartels, but we do. Those soldiers are dying for no God damned reason but profits. Get them out of there; we will support you in that. You need a few million people in the streets of Washington to get the message across? We'll be there. Our troops don't deserve this, Mr. Commander-in-Chief with no backbone.
Nwambe
Jul 15, 2009 2:17 AM CDT
So the terrorists have applied lessons the cartels learned in the drug wars in South America to the war in Afghanistan? Wow... Globalization indeed!
US • World

 
Afghanistan • Taliban • US military • IED • roadside bomb • bomb • coalition troops • Afghanistan war • improvised explosive device

More Newser Stories

US, Afghanistan, Taliban: Secret Talks Under Way

Taliban: Prince Harry Shouldn't Kill

US Eyes Switch to Special Ops in Afghanistan

Afghan Civilian Deaths Hit New High

Panetta: US Combat Role in Afghanistan Over in 2013
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne