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Taliban -led insurgents in Afghanistan have devised ways to cripple and even destroy the expensive armored vehicles that offer U.S. forces the best protection against roadside bombs by using increasingly large explosive charges and rocket-propelled grenades, according to U.S. soldiers and defense officials. At least eight American troops have been killed this year in attacks on so-called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, and 40 more have been wounded, said a senior U.S. military official who, like others interviewed on the issue, declined to be further identified because of the issue's sensitivity. The insurgents' success in attacking the hulking machines, which...

A bomb disposal specialist who had defused more than 60 improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan died when one went off as he tried to disarm it. Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, was on his last day before two weeks of rest and recuperation after a five-month tour in charge of an improvised explosive device (IED) search team in Helmand province. He was due back there next month. He died instantly when an IED that he was examining by the British forward operation base in the town of Sangin exploded on Saturday. The Ministry of Defence said that Staff Sergeant Schmid...

'Legendary' Soldier Who Defused 64 Taliban Bombs Is Blown Up On His Last Day On The Front Line By IAN DRURY 03rd November 2009 An army bomb disposal expert who saved countless lives in Afghanistan was killed on his final mission in the warzone. Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, died instantly when a roadside bomb he was trying to disarm blew up. The Improvised Explosive Devices are the favoured weapon of the Taliban and since June Sergeant Schmid had successfully dealt with 64 of them. Legendary figure: Olaf Schmid was renowned for his expertise in disarming explosive devices. Colleagues described...

U.S. helicopters watch as insurgents blow themselves up. Apache gunships with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, TF Pegasus, observe insurgents in the act of emplacing an Improvised Explosive Device in southern Afghanistan. But before the Apaches moves in for the strike, the insurgents’ bomb goes off, killing them in the act.

Note: The following text is a quote: U.S. Seeks to Counter Enemy’s ‘Weapon of Choice’ By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2009 – The Defense Department expects U.S. forces in Afghanistan to continue to be targeted by improvised explosive devices -- which have claimed more lives there than any other weapon -- while it seeks ways to counter the threat, officials said. As President Barack Obama and his advisors weigh decisions on the next phase of the Afghan war, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is working to protect against and defeat the growing threat from...

ORANGEBURG, SC (WIS) - An Orangeburg County highway was shut down for hours Tuesday after deputies stopped a man who they say had a rifle and seven live improvised explosive devices in his car. Authorities are also searching the man's motel room. Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams says Mark Kerron of New Jersey is "the real McCoy"

Afghan Bomb Attacks Kill U.S. Troops, Civilians Villagers enraged over deaths of Afghan woman, child in strikes Sat., Oct . 17, 2009 KABUL - Bomb attacks killed three American troops in Afghanistan, while civilian casualties sparked a protest by a group of angry villagers who shouted "death of America." Two American troops were killed in an explosion in the troubled nation's east on Friday, officials from the NATO-led coalition said. Another U.S. service member died the same day in a bombing in the south. The coalition announced the deaths in a statement Saturday. No further details were released. Story continues...

I don’t have the details yet on Chris’ death. I was told it was an IED. Chris is my oldest son, 28 years old and a father for his little boy Ryan and husband to Caroline, his wife. I have attached a picture of Chris and Ryan, who turned one year old last month while his daddy was in Afghanistan. The picture was taken on the day of his departure. This was Chris’ 4th tour in harm’s way-once to Kosovo, twice to Iraq and now Afghanistan.

Sgt. Aaron Taylor had been in the country for about a month A bomb technician from Camp Pendleton has become the latest locally based Marine to die from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Aaron Taylor died Friday when he exited a vehicle and stepped on the homemade explosive, his brother Kyle Taylor said in a telephone interview from the family's home in Minnesota. The Defense Department announced his death Tuesday. "He was an all-around good guy," 21-year-old Kyle Taylor said of his older brother. "He was really ambitious and everything he did he went after 150 percent."

N. Korea Swiftly Expanding Its Special Forces Commandos Trained in Terror Tactics In Effort to Maintain Military Threat By Blaine Harden Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, October 9, 2009 SEOUL -- North Korea has massively increased its special operations forces, schooled them in the use of Iraqi-style roadside bombs and equipped them to sneak past the heavily fortified border that divides the two Koreas. By expanding what was already the world's largest special operations force, the North appears to be adding commando teeth to what, in essence, is a defensive military strategy. The cash-strapped government of Kim Jong Il, which...

A surgical jamming system that can stop the enemy from communicating and navigating while minimizing disruption to friendly forces will be demonstrated under a new program launched by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Precision Electronic Warfare (PREW) program will demonstrate synchronization and pointing technology enabling multiple airborne and ground transmitters to work together to focus their jamming power on an area smaller than a city block. Jamming systems now used in Iraq and Afghanistan to block the triggering of remote-controlled explosive devices via cellular or satellite telephones are effective, but interfere with friendly forces' communication and navigation...

At approximately 2 a.m. on Sept. 25, a small improvised explosive device (IED) consisting of three or four butane canisters was used to attack a Banamex bank branch in the Milpa Alta delegation of Mexico City. The device damaged an ATM and shattered the bank's front windows. It was not an isolated event. The bombing was the seventh recorded IED attack in the Federal District - and the fifth such attack against a local bank branch - since the beginning of September. The attack was claimed in a communique posted to a Spanish-language anarchist Web site by a group calling...

This may be an indication of the real real virgins that al-Qaeda homicide bombers get from Allah. According to a new report bombers have found a "new place" to hide their weapons, their er posteriors. Last month when a Saudi Prince was almost killed by a homicide bomber, the "butt bomb" was his method of choice.

Today's Darwin award goes to these geniuses. Not sure if the kid made it out in time. It was close.

Here is video of two terrorists in Afghanistan who appear to have accidently blown themselves up trying to dig up an IED they buried along a road. The video is from a U.S. Helicopter gunship that was ready to kill the terrorists, but were holding their fire because they did not want to harm a child who was in the vicinity of the terrorists. They watched them bury the IED in the road, and then for some reason, they started digging it up. Before the gunship could take any action, the IED detonated. . . (VIDEO)

Here is a video report by Richard Engel with a U.S. Army Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan, showing the struggle they face in dealing with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which are the primary cause for increasing casualties in recent weeks. This Stryker Brigade has lost nine men in three weeks, all to IEDs. They are serving in a Taliban stronghold area south of Kandahar. . . . (VIDEO)

Staff Sgt. Timothy Wallace (center), an instructor assigned to Company B, 163rd Combined Arms Battalion, explains the need to be constantly on the lookout for Improvised Explosive Devices during a Counter-IED class on Camp Slayer, Sept. 6. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) are a deadly part of the landscape here, and it takes sharp eyes and keen knowledge of what to look for to stay out of harm's way. Soldiers of Company B, 163rd Combined Arms Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, created a counter-IED class here designed...

Here is a video report on the fact that August 2009 has now become the single deadliest month in the War in Afghanistan since it started almost eight years ago. At least 45 U.S. Troops have been killed this month. As U.S. Troops continuing pushing further into Taliban strongholds, deadly "IEDs" (Improvised Explosive Devices) are taking their toll. IED attacks are up 114% in the last month. _________________________ Just as we infused Iraq with a "Surge" of troops, it is going to take a determined commitment to destroy the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it is doubtful Obama is...

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., Aug. 28, 2009 – An explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 437th Civil Engineer Squadron here mustered the strength to brace himself and stand for the first time in three weeks Aug. 21 after an explosion turned his deployment upside down. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz speaks with Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Williams after an aeromedical evacuation mission on the flightline at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Aug. 7, 2009. Williams was injured in Afghanistan and is receiving treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. U.S. Air Force...

SPANAWAY, Wash. - A Spanaway grandfather is the latest casualty of war from Washington state. Fifty-nine-year-old First Sergeant Jose Crisostomo was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb Tuesday. He is believed to be the oldest U.S. soldier to die in Afghanistan. Crisostomo, who was known to friends as "Joe Sinbad," was well aware of the risks of combat. During a 24-year military career he served in Vietnam and Kuwait before retiring from the military in 1993. After 9/11, Crisostomo decided to re-enlist in the U.S. Army. "He insisted going back and serving his country," said Crisostomo’s wife of 39...

Helicopter gun camera video footage released today shows the deliberate steps International Security Assistance Force personnel took when countering the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) placed by two insurgents Aug. 5 along a road in southern Zabul province, Afghanistan. From January to July this year, 250 innocent Afghan citizens have been killed, and more than 500 have been wounded by roadside bombs planted around the province. While conducting Counter-IED operations in Zabul, an Attack Weapons Team of helicopters assigned to the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade of Task Force Pegasus observed and engaged two insurgents emplacing an IED, destroying them...

7/30/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- Security forces Airmen, emergency medics and hospital staff here saved an Iraqi girl after an improvised explosive device detonated at her feet in July near Joint Base Balad. The girl and her family had just attended a Joint Base Balad-sponsored clothing-and-toys distribution for local children at the east entry control point, but shortly after the event ended Airmen near the ECP heard an explosion. Maj. David Haigh and Master Sgt. Sua'ava Poti, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing antiterrorism officers, along with Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Potts of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Group, were...

The sight was not that unusual, at least not for Mosul, Iraq, on a summer morning: a car parked on the sidewalk, facing opposite traffic, its windows rolled up tight. Two young boys stared out the back window, kindergarten age maybe, their faces leaning together as if to share a whisper. The soldier patrolling closest to the car stopped. It had to be hot in there; it was 120 degrees outside. “Permission to approach, sir, to give them some water,” the soldier said to Sgt. First Class Edward Tierney, who led the nine-man patrol that morning. “I said no —...

The moment a U.S. Marine ran to safety as an explosion killed two of his comrades in Afghanistan was caught on camera. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killed two members of the U.S. 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade instantly on Monday, shredding their armor and throwing their bodies into a canal. But Sergeant Anthony Zabala, 31, had a lucky escape.

ST. PAUL (AP) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1 Father Tim Vakoc, who was critically wounded in a roadside bomb attack near Mosul, Iraq in May 2004. CBS Close numSlides of totalImages Related StoriesFamily Fights VA For Pulling Chaplain's Benefits (11/14/2007) Priest Wounded In Iraq Continues Recovery (8/29/2006) Related LinksRead More Minnesota News A Minnesota priest who was gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq five years ago has died, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis confirmed Sunday. The Rev. Tim Vakoc was 49. He died at a nursing home in suburban New Hope about 8...

One Canadian soldier killed in an explosive device strikeCEFCOM NR–09.015 - June 14, 2009OTTAWA - A Canadian soldier was killed as a result of an explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED). The incident occurred in the vicinity of Panjwayi District, approximately 20 km southwest of Kandahar City at around 12:30 p.m., Kandahar time, June 14, 2009. Killed in action was Corporal Martin Dubé from the 5e Régiment de genie de combat based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier near Quebec City. He was serving as a member of the Joint Task Force Headquarters. Corporal Dubé was responding to a call...

I just heard from my daughter, Rebecca (his wife). They are trying to remove fragments from the spinal cord. He still has no feelings in the lower legs or feet. He will be coming into Walter Reid next week. Thank you for all your prayers. Dusty was among the 10th Mountain Division soldiers wounded or killed last week in the IED attack.

Note: The following text is a quote: https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=102695 YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Safety and Security Reports > Report Afghanistan: Threats to Bagram Airfield SAFETY & SECURITY South / Central Asia - Afghanistan 27 May 2009 Printer Friendly Email Article RELATED REPORTS 27 Apr 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: EMBASSY KABUL VICTORY DAY CLOSURE 22 Apr 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: KABUL SERENA HOTEL AND VICTORY DAY THREATS 11 Feb 2009 KABUL SUICIDE COMBINED-ARMS ATTACKS 11 Feb 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: ATTACKS ON AFGHAN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS 10 Feb 2009 AFGHANISTAN 2009 CRIME AND SAFETY REPORT U.S. Regional Security Office Kabul released the following...

BAGHDAD (AP) — A roadside bomb struck a U.S. convoy in western Iraq, killing three Americans, including a senior State Department official, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The blast killed Terence Barnich, the deputy director of the State Department's Iraq Transition Assistance Office in Baghdad, as well as a U.S. soldier and a civilian contractor as their convoy left a construction site near Fallujah on Monday, military and government officials said. Two others were wounded. Insurgents once held sway over the western province of Anbar, which was the scene of some of the deadliest fighting of the war. But violence fell...

Ariz. man was Vietnam vet who decided to re-enlist after 9/11 attacks PHOENIX - A 60-year-old Vietnam War veteran who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has become the oldest Army soldier to die in that conflict, the military said Thursday.

Members of the Iraqi and U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams prepare discovered ordnance for detonation during a joint EOD controlled detonation recently in Basrah. The U.S. forces trained the Iraqi Army Soldiers on proper detonation procedures. Photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos Burger, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. BASRAH — U.S. Soldiers took the opportunity to train their Iraqi counterparts in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) after hidden weapons were found here recently.  Before the two teams could perform a joint controlled detonation, they had the daunting task of identifying and inventorying every round.The EOD teams cataloged more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition;...

THE most effective weapon terrorists have found to wield against us isn't the headline-grabbing suicide bomber or even the deadly roadside bomb, the IED. Such weapons can harm us, but they can't stop us. Terror's super-weapon is the lie. Lying about civilian casualties is the one sure way to impede or even halt US (or Israeli) operations, to force such tight restrictions on our troops that they can't win. The casualty con's so effective as both propaganda and tactic that terrorists everywhere have adopted the technique. It's been so successful that our enemies long ago transitioned to the next phase:...

Ramallah - Palestinian security officials said on Sunday that they had found a Hamas bomb-making factory underneath a mosque in the occupied West Bank. "Security forces found a bomb-making factory inside a mosque in Qalqiliya," an Interior Ministry statement said. "Many of the bombs were ready to use and many of them were of industrial grade."

Some Soldiers seem to have a sixth sense at being able to spot improvised explosive devices, researchers found, while others were unable to see the deadly weapons hidden in brush or buried in the middle of a road. How and why only certain Soldiers could see IEDs was something the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization decided needed to be studied. So for the last 18 months a joint group of researchers has been striving to identify what particular skills, abilities and characteristics are needed to detect IEDs.

Police: Man Found With IED Arrested; Home Searched Hazardous Materials Team Removes Chemicals From Pittsburgh Home PITTSBURGH -- SNIPPET: "When police searched the man's Parkview Street home in the city's Oakland neighborhood, they said officers found chemicals for making explosives devices. Police described the chemicals as extremely dangerous."

AUSTRALIAN special forces and Afghan troops have killed a senior Taliban insurgent leader responsible for improvised explosive device (IED) and suicide attacks against Australian forces. Mullah Abdul Bari was known to have controlled suicide bombers, the training of foreign fighters and distribution of weapons, the Australian Defence Force's chief of joint operations Mark Evans said. Mullah Bari was also identified as a primary IED facilitator and was responsible for the coordination of device emplacement in Oruzgan province. "His weapons of choice were roadside bombs and suicide bombers and his death means that Taliban insurgents operating in the region have lost...

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 – Coalition and Iraqi forces arrested two suspected terrorists, seized weapons and destroyed thousands of pounds of explosives in operations in Iraq in the past five days, military officials reported. A Mosul special weapons and tactics team, aided by coalition forces, yesterday arrested two suspected terrorists listed on a Central Criminal Court of Iraq warrant in Ninevah province. When the team moved to arrest a third suspect, the suspect resisted with small-arms fire from inside a house. A SWAT member was shot in the leg, and an Iraqi woman was wounded. She was treated on site...

Three Canadian Forces personnel killed and two injured in AfghanistanCEFCOM NR 09.004 - March 4, 2009OTTAWA – Three Canadian Forces personnel were killed and two were injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred northwest of Kandahar City at around 5:40 p.m., Kandahar time, on 3 March, 2009. The CF personnel were conducting security operations in the area when the explosion occurred. Killed in action were Warrant Officer Denis Raymond Brown, from The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, Corporal Dany Olivier Fortin, from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at...

British Muslims are providing the Taliban with electronic devices to make roadside bombs for use in attacks against British forces serving in southern Afghanistan, The Telegraph can disclose. The devices, which enable Taliban fighters to detonate roadside bombs by remote control, are either sent to sympathizers in the region, or carried by volunteers who fly to Pakistan and then make their way across the border. Details of how British electronic components have been found in roadside bombs were given to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, when he visited British troops at their military compound at Lashkagar, in Helmand province, earlier...

British Muslims are providing the Taliban with electronic devices to make roadside bombs for use in attacks against British forces serving in southern Afghanistan. The devices, which enable Taliban fighters to detonate roadside bombs by remote control, are either sent to sympathizers in the region, or carried by volunteers who fly to Pakistan and then make their way across the border. Details of how British electronic components have been found in roadside bombs were given to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, when he visited British troops at their military compound at Lashkagar, in Helmand province, earlier this week. In...

British Muslims are providing the Taliban with electronic devices to make roadside bombs for use in attacks against British forces serving in southern Afghanistan, The Telegraph can disclose. The devices, which enable Taliban fighters to detonate roadside bombs by remote control, are either sent to sympathizers in the region, or carried by volunteers who fly to Pakistan and then make their way across the border. Details of how British electronic components have been found in roadside bombs were given to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, when he visited British troops at their military compound at Lashkagar, in Helmand province, earlier...

BAGHDAD, Feb. 20, 2009 – The U.S. military fielded its 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle in Iraq today during a ceremony on Camp Liberty, just 22 months after it was introduced into the theater of operations. Mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles sit in a row on the Camp Liberty, Iraq, fielding site, Feb. 20, 2009. The day marked the introduction of the 10,000th vehicle into Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Gaylord  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Servicemembers and civilians from across Victory Base Complex gathered among rows of MRAPs at the largest fielding site in Iraq to acknowledge the...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Police officers and members of the Sons of Iraq thwarted an improvised-explosive device attack and arrested five suspected terrorists Jan. 24 during a joint operation in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad. IP and SoI apprehended two suspects attempting to emplace explosive devices that were strapped to a bicycle near a funeral site. After questioning the suspects, IP and SoI were led to a nearby cache containing propaganda, magnets, timers, homemade explosives, mortar fuses and batteries. The suspects also led the IP and SoI to a site suspected of housing other members of the IED cell where three more...

It sounds like science fic­tion, but it is fact: On the battlefields of Iraq and Afghan­istan, robots are killing America’s ene­mies and sav­ing Ameri­can lives. But today’s Pack­Bots, Preda­tors, and Ravens are rela­tively prim­itive machines. The coming generation of “war-bots” will be im­mensely more sophisti­cated, and their devel­op­ment raises troubling new questions about how and when we wage ­war. There was little to warn of the danger ahead. The Iraqi insurgent had laid his ambush with great cunning. Hidden along the side of the road, the bomb looked like any other piece of trash. American soldiers call these ­jury-­rigged bombs...

Hamas plans to maximize civilian casualties "This map, confiscated Wednesday (Jan. 7) by IDF paratroopers operating in the north of Gaza, shows how Hamas uses an entire neighborhood, rigging it with explosive devices and putting the entire civilian population at great risk." "The map shows the al-Tatraa neighborhood in Gaza City divided into three areas of operation (red, blue and green). The dots on the map indicate where Hamas operatives had planted a variety of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), with the colors indicating the type of IED. Additional marks show sniper positions next to mosques. Next to the entrance...

An Iraqi Army engineer navigates a Talon robot through a makeshift improvised explosive device training course at Combat Outpost Al Kindi, Mosul, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2008. Photo by Pfc. Adam Blazak, 11th Public Affairs Detachment. MOSUL — Various explosives are used by the enemy to disrupt or destroy the significant security gains made here by Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. Coming across an IED isn’t a rarity here, and defeating these weapons is no easy task.  However, significant strides are being made.Simply put, “It’s intense every time,� said Loveland, Colo. native, Staff Sgt. Jeron Pilger, training cadre, 59th Mobility Augmentation...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces partnered with U.S. Soldiers to confiscate eight enemy rifles and Iraqi Soldiers found and cleared an improvised explosive Dec. 28 in Baghdad’s Rashid district. At approximately noon, Iraqi Security Forces with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division confiscated seven AK-47 assault rifles and an SKS assault rifle during a combined operation in the Masafee community. They were partnered with Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B. At approximately 12:30 p.m., Iraqi Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th...

SCHWEINFURT, Germany, Dec. 22, 2008 – Danger lurks on every stretch of road in Iraq with the prospect of roadside bombs, which have taken a terrible toll on those serving downrange. Army Spc. Jake Altman knows very well the destruction they can cause. Army Spc. Jake Altman, wounded during his first deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007, is preparing to re-join his unit in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Emily Athens  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. After serving two years in the Army, Altman deployed in 2006 with 9th Engineer Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade, stationed just north...

UAV Predator takes out an IED emplacement team with a Hellfire Missile in Iraq.

BAGHDAD – 12 Iraqi policemen were killed and 35 IPs and civilians were wounded when two improvised explosive device detonated at approximately 1 p.m. Dec. 1 in eastern Baghdad. The first IED blast occurred outside the Baghdad IP Academy in Rusafa and the second blast, a car bomb, exploded 150 meters north of the entrance and was specifically targeting first responders. The attacks occurred within a minute of each other. Iraqi Security Forces and Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, responded to the attack to help secure the site. The injured were...