More Ripples of American Wars: Global Rise in Makeshift Bombs Worries U.S.

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — American military officers are expressing concern over the spreading use of makeshift bombs beyond the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan to other countries in the region, as well as in east Asia and South America.

Improvised explosive devices, as the military calls them, have been the largest killer of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, showing up with devastating effect in Pakistan and India, but also with less notice in Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Colombia, Somalia and parts of North Africa.

Even Russian security forces have faced the devices in Ingushetia and Dagestan, although attacks in Chechnya have fallen.

“There is a robust and constant I.E.D. effort among violent extremists who are using it as their weapon of choice,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, director of the Pentagon’s organization in charge of seeking ways to counter improvised explosives. “That won’t change for decades. We are in this fight for a long time.”

General Metz, who will discuss the spread of improvised bombs during testimony on Thursday before a House Armed Services subcommittee, said global I.E.D. cases outside of Iraq and Afghanistan average about 300 per month. The count includes both detonations and the discovery of intact devices. The military’s global statistics on the bombs remain classified, in order to prevent extremists from knowing what the United States knows. But a compilation of worldwide incidents from private-sector security consultants illustrates the threat.

Jonathan M. George, of HMS Inc., a private firm that analyzes the use of I.E.D.s and consults on countermeasures, maintains a database on cases, gathered from public documents and news reports, that military officers considerable reliable enough to cite in public statements.

Mr. George said the count of improvised bombs in Afghanistan has grown from 515 in 2006, to 705 in 2007, to 828 in 2008, and to 955 so far this year. In Iraq, the annual figures show the count has diminished, from 4,718 in 2006, to 3,275 in 2007, to 3,253 in 2008 to 1,135 so far this year.

But his compilation also tracks the larger number of I.E.D.s that explode or are found in the rest of the world: 3,267 in 2006, 4,027 in 2007, 4,273 in 2008 and 2,121 thus far in 2009.

“Recent events show that although the number of I.E.D. attacks has fallen, the number of high-casualty and high-profile attacks continue to rise,” he said.

He said Pakistan has experienced the worst problem, after a rise that began in 2007, after the Pakistani military mounted an eight-day siege to end a months-long standoff with Islamic extremists holed up at the Red Mosque in Islamabad. India has the second highest number of I.E.D.s, and the level there remains constant, Mr. George said. Thailand is third, but the number has decreased following a peak in 2007.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/world/29military.html

I wonder what other little strategic gems will come out of the Iraq/Afghanistan debacles?

How long before other nations use DU weapons against our troops?