IEDS
- DEFENCE & SECURITY
News:
Bengaluru bomb blast:
What are improvised explosive devices, or IEDs?
What's
in the news?
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At least nine people were injured after an
explosion at the bustling Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area,
possibly by an improvised explosive device (IED).
Improvised
Explosive Devices:
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IED is a type of unconventional explosive weapon that can take any form and be
activated in a variety of ways.
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An IED is basically a home-made bomb because they are improvised.
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IEDs can come in many forms, ranging from
a small pipe bomb to a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage
and loss of life.
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They can be deployed using a vehicle,
carried, placed, or thrown by a person, delivered in a package, or concealed on
the roadside.
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While they have been in use for over a
century, the term “IED” first entered common usage during the United States’
Iraq invasion (beginning in 2003), where such bombs were commonly used against
US forces.
Components:
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Each IED comprises a few basic components,
which can come in various forms, depending on resources available to the
bomb-maker.
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These include an initiator or a triggering
mechanism, (which sets the explosion off), a switch (which arms the explosive),
a main charge (which causes the explosion), a power source (since most IEDs
contain an electric initiator, they require an electronic power source), and a
container.
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Additionally, IEDs may be packed with additional materials or
“enhancements” such as nails, glass, or metal fragments designed to
increase the amount of shrapnel released by the explosion — and thus the damage
it causes.
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Enhancement
may also include hazardous materials such as toxic chemicals, or radio-active
circumstances — an IED packed with, say, depleted Uranium will be colloquially
called a “dirty bomb”
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Some common materials used to build IEDs
include fertilisers such as ammonium
nitrate and urea nitrate, gunpowder, and hydrogen peroxide.