.New weapon a worry for US troops in Iraq: report
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The widening use of rocket-propelled bombs in Iraq is posing a deadly new challenge to occupying US troops, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The bombs, dubbed improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAMs), have left at least 21 people dead, including three US troops, this year, the Post said.
Their use by suspected Shiite militia marks a "broadening (of) the array of weapons used against US troops," the report said.
"They are propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. They are often fired by remote control from the backs of trucks, sometimes in close succession," the Post reported.
"US military officials say IRAM attacks, unlike roadside bombings and conventional mortar or rocket attacks, have the potential to kill scores of soldiers at once.
"IRAMs are fired at close range, unlike most rockets, and create much larger explosions. Most such attacks have occurred in the capital, Baghdad," the report added.
It also highlighted the militiamen's skill in arms adaptation.
"Use of the rocket-propelled bombs reflects militiamen's ability to use commonly available materials and relatively low-tech weaponry to circumvent security measures that have cost the US military billions of dollars," the report said.
"To combat roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs, US and Iraqi troops have set up scores of checkpoints throughout the capital, increased patrols and purchased hundreds of armored vehicles that can resist such attacks," it noted.
"IRAM attacks could be very tragic against us," the report quoted Colonel William Hickman, the commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, working in Baghdad, as saying. "We take them very seriously."
AFP
Who would have guessed that a weapon pioneered by the FARC in Colombia would turn up in Iraq. You don't think that all the Iranians running around in Venezuela had anything to do with it? No, can't be.
The bombs, dubbed improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAMs), have left at least 21 people dead, including three US troops, this year, the Post said.
Their use by suspected Shiite militia marks a "broadening (of) the array of weapons used against US troops," the report said.
"They are propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. They are often fired by remote control from the backs of trucks, sometimes in close succession," the Post reported.
"US military officials say IRAM attacks, unlike roadside bombings and conventional mortar or rocket attacks, have the potential to kill scores of soldiers at once.
"IRAMs are fired at close range, unlike most rockets, and create much larger explosions. Most such attacks have occurred in the capital, Baghdad," the report added.
It also highlighted the militiamen's skill in arms adaptation.
"Use of the rocket-propelled bombs reflects militiamen's ability to use commonly available materials and relatively low-tech weaponry to circumvent security measures that have cost the US military billions of dollars," the report said.
"To combat roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs, US and Iraqi troops have set up scores of checkpoints throughout the capital, increased patrols and purchased hundreds of armored vehicles that can resist such attacks," it noted.
"IRAM attacks could be very tragic against us," the report quoted Colonel William Hickman, the commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, working in Baghdad, as saying. "We take them very seriously."
AFP
Who would have guessed that a weapon pioneered by the FARC in Colombia would turn up in Iraq. You don't think that all the Iranians running around in Venezuela had anything to do with it? No, can't be.
posted by madtom at 4:27 PM
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