Latest terror craze: The 'Sticky IED'
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD — A new type of improvised explosive device in Iraq has been taped underneath cars and stuck to fuel trucks, animals and women.
Official said Iraq Army has found a new and much lighter IED typically attached to cars and other vehicles. The weapon, dubbed "sticky IED," has consisted of a small plastic explosive wrapped in duct tape.
"They are just small plastic bombs that include highly explosive material and they can be moved manually," Iraq Army Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for Operation Law and Order, said. "And they are put beneath any car and triggered through a remote control."
The use of sticky IEDs was said to mark the latest tactic in the Al Qaida war against the U.S.-led coalition. Al Qaida has also recruited women as well as the disabled for suicide bombings, Middle East Newsline reported.
In a briefing on Feb. 25, Atta said insurgents were using sticky IEDs to booby-trap cars, fuel trucks or animals. He said the bomb has been seen throughout the Baghdad area.
"They aim to influence the citizen and also influence the performance of the security services in Baghdad," Atta said.
Atta said the sticky IEDs were manufactured in Iraq but consist of imported components. The general urged Iraqis to check underneath their cars before driving.
"Now the citizens and due to their cooperation we managed to find some of those bombs," Atta said. "But, of course, you know after an explosion happens, they are harmful."