Can some explain to me what exactly an IED is. I know it stands for improvised explosive device, but what I was really wondering is how they are killing so many US troops. Are they unable to be seen by the troops in a convoy?

They can also be made out of unexploded ordinance... There is lots of that crap around in Iraq and It's not very hard to blow it up on MSR's when convoys are passing through...

its exactly what it stands for any explosive device that is used in a method other then what it is was built for. there is alot of ordince just laying around in iraq. For example I saw alot of 155mm and 105mm rounds used as IED's or road side bombs what ever you want to call it.

The Vietnamese used IED's a lot. Like taking our dud mortar rounds and putting a new fuse and a detanaor on it and planting in under a palm tree where tired GI's would sit and rest.

A better example of an IED is, A insurgant takes Claymores off of American base defenses, takes out the C4 and uses it in things like coffee cans full of nail, bolts, and chuncks of metal or putting large amounts of the C4 in a box with an electrical fuse and an electrical radio detonator.

Not that I don't believe you, but why would anyone make a coffee can bomb outta a claymore when the claymore would be more efFective?????

The VC made IEDs outta 500lb and bigger bombs as well. His Cav plattoon lost a M113 to one like that. Said the damn thing was blown off the road 50 feet or so into a rice paddy after the IED was detonated under it.

Originally Posted by Armychef

Not that I don't believe you, but why would anyone make a coffee can bomb outta a claymore when the claymore would be more efFective?????

The VC made IEDs outta 500lb and bigger bombs as well. His Cav plattoon lost a M113 to one like that. Said the damn thing was blown off the road 50 feet or so into a rice paddy after the IED was detonated under it.

A coffee can is less conspicuous (well not now but it was in the early stages of the war) and if you think pellets make more damage than a can of bolts and nails you need to do some research.

All so I know what the VC did with duds, they'd take C4 from claymores and dig pits find, a dud 155 round bury the C4 in the pit, set the 155 round in the pit and light the C4 and blow it right back at us.