How to effectively counter IED attacks

Improvised Explosive Detonators (IED) comes in various forms, some can be carried in a paper bag and be placed on the road, others are delivered in a package or dug on a roadside.

Terrorists have different tactics of launching an IED attack. Some hide in the vicinity to witness their evil deed as well as to make sure they read the reaction of the masses. Others make sure they ambush survivors and first responders.

 

The best technic to counter IED attacks is first and foremost to study your route. It is very easy to notice strategically placed objects besides the road. It is also easy to notice a dug area on the roadside.

It is obvious to notice a partially blocked road with a passage that obviously may lead to a concealed IED. It is vital to often have air assets that can help with reconnaissance on major roads in less developed areas.

Human intelligence is vital in gathering information on the terrorist masterminds whose aim is to kill innocent people. More important is to create the profiles IED makers and hunt them down from their source.

Detonating IEDs might not be an easy task but once the bomb makers are hunted down the threat of IED reduces significantly.

 To reduce the chance of surviving in an IED attack, road users should make sure that the vehicle they travel with has minimal gasoline because a full gas tank only increases the intensity of explosion hence loss of lives.

Wherever an IED explodes the first responders and counterterrorism officials should use unmarked routes to access the scene of an attack. First responders should always be aware of secondary attacks.

 

Lastly and most important to counter IED, security agencies should hunt down the people responsible for assembling the bombs. Quite often the bomb emplacers are just foot soldiers for hire, the dangerous networks are the financiers and bomb assemblers.

However, it is important to note that if we can follow the lead of the bomb emplacer, we can easily identify the terrorist network and destroy it. The key to winning the war against IED lies in defeating the network that orders, assembles, and plans the attack rather than focusing on the devices.

 The writer is a Consultant in Homeland Security