Shaped bombs magnify Iraq attacks

"The roadside bomb has evolved steadily in step with the defences deployed against it to become the most dangerous threat facing US and British troops in Iraq.

An armour-piercing version of the bomb - blamed for the deaths of eight British soldiers this year - marks the latest advance in the insurgents' arsenal.

The UK has accused Iran of supplying the new weapon to militants in southern Iraq, via the Lebanese Hezbollah militia group, although Tehran has denied this.

According to defence sources, basic armour-piercing weapons are easy to manufacture, drawing on principles discovered more than a century ago and in use since World War Two. "
BBC