Jack you got most of it right, but some of it is slightly off. I will correct.
Arty shells are THE most widely used IED. Period.
Majority are remote detonated.
Times of implementation ........you only missed the other 6 hours in the day. They do it all the time.
But yes, "does the hiway have an IED today?" theory is correct. We scan, search, probe, and identify most of them.
Cliff Smith SSgt USMC Iraq
From: Jack <milveh@sbcglobal.net> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org> Subject: Re: [MV] Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 15:08:50 -0800 (PST) The original tactic was simple, use an artillery shell with an electrical contact fuse. Almost anyone with half a brain can rig them up with either two wires leading to a remote battery or use a remote control device like a garage door opener or door bell to trigger the closing of the electrical circuit. Almost all Iraq's heavy artillery shells are made this way by the Chinese, Russians and French who supplied 99% of Iraq's weaponry. They make excellent IED's, but heck they're also using TNT and other malleable (plastique). The latest tactics include setting multiple charges along convoy routes, disguising bombs inside animal carcasses or planting artillery
shells in a visible area to draw troops into an ambush. The old method of digging a big hole for a large shell took a lot of work and risk to plant. So now they are using these smaller IED's called "drop and pop" that are still fired electrically from a secure location. They only take a few seconds, so the TOT (time on target) is very short and detection is unlikely. They are also using a daisy chain or string of IED's (most common explosive is PE-4) to take out multiple vehicles. Keep in mind most of these devices are just laying along the edge of the road. Some of the guys were using the ol ma-deuce to shoot suspected bombs and explode them, but complaints from the local citizens stopped this practice. Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower to adequately surveil the most commonly used roads where such IED's are regularly placed during the hours of 0000 hrs till 1800 hrs. Its kind of
like a game of Russian roulette, "Does the hwy. have an IED today or not...whatever, here we go!" ===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list=== To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org> To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org> To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org>