C I V I L - M I L I T A R Y F U S I O N C E N T R E
March 2012 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises
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COUNTER-IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES
Improvised Explosive Devices: A Global Review
January & February 2012
Mark Checchia Security and C-IED Desk Officer
This document provides a summary of incidents and trends involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as reported in various unclassified publications during January and February 2012. As this report seeks to share information of explosive events with the broader civil-military community, the use of the term IED has been expanded to include explosive incidents in general and is not restricted solely to devices that have been improvised. Related information is available at www.cimicweb.org. Hyperlinks to source material are highlighted in blue and underlined in the text.
ATO’s Centre of Excellence Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT) reported 728 people were killed
and 1,434 others injured from 344 reported global IED, vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) or suicide attacks
during January 2012. A further 389 people were killed and 1,246 were injured in 288 attacks in
February 2012. Combined, there were 632 IED incidents in the first two months of the year which killed 1,117
people and injured another 2,680. In comparison, there were 850 non-IED related terrorism incidents globally in
January and February 2012 that resulted in 1,201 killed and 929 wounded, according to COE-DAT. (For a brief
discussion of data sources, see Box 1, next page.)
Figures 1 & 2. IEDs by Type and by Casualty Type, February 2011 – February 2012
0
100
200
300
400
500
Feb
-11
Mar
-11
Ap
r-1
1
May
-11
Jun
-11
Jul-
11
Au
g-1
1
Sep
-11
Oct
-11
No
v-1
1
Dec
-11
Jan
-12
Feb
-12
IED VBIED Suicide Attacks
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Feb
-11
Mar
-11
Ap
r-1
1
May
-11
Jun
-11
Jul-
11
Au
g-1
1
Sep
-11
Oct
-11
No
v-1
1
Dec
-11
Jan
-12
Feb
-12
Killed Wounded
N
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March 2012 Page 2
Source: Compiled from data extracted from COE-DAT Monthly Reports, February 2011-February 2012
Afghanistan
While this section focuses upon IED and C-IED issues in Afghanistan, the security situation and IED incidents in
that country may be viewed with an understanding of the on-going phased transition of security responsibility to
the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). In that context, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
said on 26 January that the International Security Assistance Force will “[S]tick to the roadmap that was outlined
at the NATO summit in Lisbon in November 2010. According to which, we will gradually handover lead
responsibility to the Afghans. A process that has been started and hopefully will be completed by the end of
2014.”
According to ISAF, the overall number of executed IED attacks in January and February 2012 (see Figure 3)
was measurably lower than during the same months in 2011. In addition, a review of ISAF fatalities show that
nine of the 22 military members who died as a result of hostile action in Afghanistan during January 2012 were
killed by IEDs in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in the south of the country. By comparison, in December
2011, 16 of 23 NATO casualties were due to IEDs.
Figure 3. Executed IED Attacks in Afghanistan, January 2008 – February 2012
Box 1. Note on IED Information Sources
Various government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations maintain databases
that track global terrorism and IED events. These databases differ in terms of their security classification and, hence,
their accessibility to individuals who require or would benefit from related information. Databases also differ in their
definition, criteria and classification of explosive events and in the timeliness of their reporting. For instance,
classified military databases in Iraq and Afghanistan include IED explosions, IED finds/clears, turn-ins and hoaxes;
as a result they consistently report higher numbers of IED incidents than other databases. For consistency and
availability, the CFC’s Security & C-IED Desk Officer uses unclassified IED data from NATO’s Defence against
Terrorism Centre of Excellence’s (COE-DAT) monthly reports. Detailed trends data and incident information
through December 2010 are primarily derived from the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study
of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), which allows analysts to download information from their
online global terrorism database. IED events occurring in 2011and 2012 are compiled from various unclassified
news reports. Some information is provided by the Realtime Analysis and Publishing of IED Data (RAPID), a US
Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) contracted weekly publication.
Source: ISAF Monthly
Data: Trends Through
February 2012; IED data
in this publicly available
ISAF document comes from
the Combined Information
Data Network Exchange
(CIDNE) system
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A report in USA Today on 26 January noted that the total number of IEDs that were cleared or detonated in
Afghanistan rose to 16,554 in 2011, an increase of 9% over the 15,225 events in 2010. In 2009, there were a total
of 9,304 IED events. While IEDs remain one of the primary causes of casualties for military service members,
civilians casualties are rising at an alarming rate. IEDs account for 60% of all civilian casualties, and the number
of Afghans killed or wounded by IEDs jumped 10% between 2010 and 2011 to more than 4,000.
The New York Times reported that more civilian contractors working for American companies than American
soldiers died in Afghanistan last year. The article did not specifically attribute IED’s or any specific cause of
death to the drastic increase in civilian deaths stating that “many contractors do not comply with even the current,
scanty reporting requirements”. According to data provided by the US Embassy in Kabul and other public
records, at least 430 employees of American contractors were reported killed in Afghanistan in 2011: 386
working for the Department of Defense, 43 for the United States Agency for International Development and one
for the US State Department. By comparison, 418 American soldiers died last year in Afghanistan. Experts who
have studied the issue say that the true number of private contractor deaths may be far higher. The bulk of the
known contractor deaths are concentrated among companies who provide interpreters, drivers, security guards
and support personnel.
Below are IED events that were reported in Afghanistan in January and February 2012:
The most deadly IED attack occurred over 18-19 January,
when two IED attacks in southern Afghanistan left 19 people
dead and dozens wounded, the Washington Post noted.
According to provincial officials, 13 people were killed and 20
others wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his
explosives at a popular bazaar in the Kajaki district of
Helmand province on 18 January. Subsequently, a suicide
bomber killed six civilians at the entrance to a NATO airfield
at Kandahar. The Taliban took credit for the attacks.
Another incident took place in Kandahar on 12 January, when
Syed Fazluddin Agha, the administrative head of Panjwayi
district, was killed along with two of his sons and two bodyguards in a suicide VBIED. Nine Afghan
policemen and a civilian were also wounded in the attack.
A suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy in southern Helmand province on 26 January, the New York
Times reported. The attack resulted in the death of three Afghan civilians and injured thirty others. A civilian
ISAF official was also injured.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-packed vehicle outside the gates of Jalalabad airfield on 27
February, according to Tolo News. Local officials reported nine dead and 21 wounded in the attack on the
joint Afghan-ISAF airfield; no ISAF casualties were reported, notes the Associated Press. The Taliban
claimed the bombing were in retaliation for US troops burning copies of the Quran at Bagram airfield, reports
McClatchy.
A car bomb exploded near a police headquarters in Kandahar city in Afghanistan on 05 February, killing
seven and injuring 19, Tolo News recounted. Five of the dead were policemen, and six police and 13 civilians
were among the injured.
Suicide VBIED in Kandahar Khan/AP
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Four people were wounded in northern Takhar province on 29 February, Tolo News reported. Local officials
said a bomb placed in a car exploded near the Kabul Bank office in the provincial capital. The wounded were
taken to a nearby hospital and Afghan police have started an investigation.. No group has claimed
responsibility. In another incident in Helmand province, six people were wounded in a suicide car bomb
attack. Local officials said the incident involved a suicide bomber detonating his explosives near the
provincial police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, reported Kamal-u Din Shirzai, deputy police chief of the
province.
Pakistan
Below are IED events that were reported in Pakistan in January and February 2012:
At least 30 people were killed on 10 January after a bomb
exploded near a bus terminal in the town of Jamrud in the
Khyber tribal region, according to BBC News. Officials
say at least 60 other people were injured. Jamrud has
been the scene of several attacks in the past, the most
recent of which was a suicide bombing at a mosque in
August 2011 which killed at least 40 people. BBC News
reports that Jamrud is dominated by the Kukikhel branch
of the Afridi tribe, which has organised a militia to fight a
local faction of the Pakistani Taliban.
On 11 January, 14 paramilitary soldiers were killed in a
bomb attack in Balochistan province, Pakistani officials
told Pajhwok Afghan News. Another 15 others were injured and taken to hospital. A spokesman for the
Baloch Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Pajhwok, this was the third attack
on security forces in a week. Attacks on Pakistani soldiers have increased recently; twenty-five soldiers were
killed earlier in two attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A Pakistan official reported that at least 14 people were killed and 20 injured in a bomb blast in the Pakistani
town of Khan Pur in Punjab Province on 15 January, CNN reported. The explosion targeted Shiite Muslims
on a procession route during the holy day of Chehlum, which marks the anniversary of the seventh century
death of Imam Hussain.
At least 20 people, mainly Shia Muslims, were killed and dozens injured in a suicide attack near a mosque
following prayer in Pakistan’s north western Kurram tribal region on 17 February, according to Pajhwok
Afghan News. The attacker blew up his explosives-laden motorcycle in the market.
A car bomb detonated at an outdoor minibus terminal in north western Pakistan 23 February, killing at least
12 people and wounding 32 others, the Associated Press reported. The blast destroyed many of the vehicles
waiting to transport passengers from the city of Peshawar to other areas of the country.
Iraq
January 2012 statistics show that there was an increase in casualties during the month. Two of the three
organisations that maintain monthly death counts for Iraq showed increases in January 2012. The “Iraq Body
Count” tracking website registered 458 killed, up from 371 in December 2011. The United Nations reported 500
Border Areas, including Jamrud BBC News
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deaths in January compared to 313 the previous month. Iraqi government ministries only counted 151 deaths,
down slightly from 155 in December.
Below are IED events that were reported in Iraq in January and February 2012:
A number of bombings across the country killed at least 60 people in Iraq on 5 January, reports CNN. The
bombers targeted Shiites. Authorities said these attacks raised fears of increased sectarian violence. The
deadliest of the attack was a suicide bombing west of Nasiriya that killed at least 36 people and wounded
more than 72 others. Blasts in Baghdad killed 24 people and wounded dozens more.
A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman targeted
Shiite pilgrims outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra,
killing at least 53 people and injuring 137 others on 14
January. The explosion took place at a police
checkpoint near a Shiite mosque and occurred as
pilgrims were going to worship to commemorate
Arbaeen. Arbaeen, one of the holiest days in the Shiite
sect, commemorates the seventh century death of Imam
Hussein. These attacks marked the deadliest attack on
the Shiite community in Iraq since the US military
completed its withdrawal from the country in
December 2011.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle near a funeral procession in the Baghdad district of
Zafaraniyah on 27 January, killing as many as 32 people and injuring 65 others. At least half of the dead were
policemen. Minutes after the explosion, gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint nearby, killing two other
policemen.
At least 16 people were killed on 09 January in a series of car bombings and assassinations. Two car bombs
exploded in Shiite areas in Baghdad, killing 12 people and injuring 50. In Kirkuk, two Kurdish security
personnel were killed at a checkpoint.
Iraqi officials reported 13 people have been killed in two separate bomb attacks on 26 January. Ten members
of a single family, including two police officers, were killed in a bombing in Kirkuk. In a separate incident,
three people were killed by a motorcycle bomb parked near a primary school.
According to BBC News, at least 13 people were killed and 62 wounded in four separate car bomb attacks in
Baghdad’s Shiite districts on 24 January.
Six roadside bombs planted near houses of Iraqi police officers in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, on 04
January resulted in two children killed and nine people wounded.
Simultaneous early morning attacks on mostly Shi'a targets across Iraq killed at least 60 people and wounded
dozens on 23 February, Reuters reported. The attacks appeared to pit al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim
insurgents against Shi'as, and raised fears of a return to the widespread sectarian violence of 2006 and 2007.
VBIED in Iraq CNN
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Other Notable Global IED-Related Explosive Events
In addition to the IED incidents noted above in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, a number of prominent attacks
involving IEDs also took place in places such as Nigeria, Syria, Ethiopia, Iran and Somalia. These incidents are
outlined below.
Nigeria
A coordinated series of IED explosions and shootings by Boko Haram, a radical Islamist sect, killed 186
people in Kano, Nigeria on 20 January, the BBC reports. Kano,
Nigeria’s second largest city, has more than nine million
people and is an important political and religious centre for
Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim North. A Boko Haram
spokesman claimed responsibility and said the attacks were
motivated by the government’s refusal to release Boko Haram
members in custody. The 20 January attacks targeted police
stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of the
Nigerian secret police and left the police headquarters and
other government buildings in ruins. Boko Haram was profiled
in the December CFC publication on “Improvised Explosive
Devices”.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Mohammed Bazoum said on 24 January that members of Boko Haram have
received explosives training at al Qaeda camps in the Sahel region of northern Africa. He further stated that
another group received training from al Shabaab in Somalia.
A suspected suicide bomber disguised in military uniform was killed on 07 February when his car bomb
exploded under fire from soldiers outside a military base in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, a Nigerian
army spokesman said. “The soldiers repelled the attack and were able to stop what will [sic] have been a
suicide bombing. However, after firing [at] the suicide bomber who tried to force his way, the bomb
exploded... The suicide bomber was the only casualty,” read a statement from the Nigerian army. Although
there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram is suspected given similar attacks which it had
carried out recently.
Syria
Powerful car bombs exploded minutes apart outside two security headquarters in the northern Syrian city of
Aleppo on 10 February, killing 28 and injuring 235 people according to an official count; it also injured
approximately 235 people. According to a government statement, military and police personnel, as well as
civilians, were killed outside a military security headquarters and a police compound. The blasts were blamed on
opposition forces seeking the ouster of the current regime.
Somalia
The Long War Journal reported that an al Shabaab suicide bomber attacked an Ethiopian military compound
in western Somalia on 24 January. Al Shabaab claimed credit for the attack and said that 33 Ethiopian
soldiers, including four senior commanders, were killed and up to 72 injured. The attack took place in the city
of Beledweyne near the border with Ethiopia. Al Shabaab said the attack targeted a building known as the
Police Inspect Kano Bomb Site Reuters
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Regional Headquarters, which housed more than 200 Ethiopian troops. Ethiopian officials did not confirm
the number of casualties from the al Shabaab attack, but The Long War Journal said African countries which
have forces in Somalia often underreport casualties.
At least 15 people were killed and more than 20 people injured when a car bomb exploded on 09 February
near a cafe in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, the BBC reported. Officials said the vehicle was parked close to
the Hotel Muna, which is frequented by Somali politicians and which was the target of an attack by militants
in August 2010. Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israeli Targets
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for attacks on 13 February on Israeli embassy staff in
Georgia and India that wounded at least two people, one of them an Israeli woman, The Times of India reported.
These attacks were in addition to a bomb incident in Bangkok, Thailand, where two Iranians were arrested after
an explosion at a house they were renting. One of the men blew off his legs as he tried to throw an explosive at
police while fleeing, Thai media said. A third man was arrested in Malaysia, and Thai authorities have issued
arrest warrants for two other Iranians who have fled the country.
The Delhi Police said it will check with the authorities in Georgia and Bangkok to find out more about the
explosives used in the bomb attack on an Israeli embassy car on 13 February in Delhi, India News Online
reported. “We will get the samples of explosives from Georgia where a bomb was defused and from Bangkok,
where an attack has taken place. We will check whether the same kind of explosives was used in Monday’s
blast,” Delhi Commissioner of Police B.K. Gupta told reporters.
Iran
The Washington Post reported that a scientist associated with Iran’s nuclear programme was killed along with his
bodyguard when an unidentified attacker placed a magnetic bomb on his car in Tehran on 11 January. The
scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, is said to be the deputy director of Iran’s largest uranium-enrichment facility,
which is located near the town of Natanz. Ahmadi-Roshan is the fourth Iranian scientists killed by bombs in the
past two years. Iranian officials accused the United States and Israel for conducting the attack. US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton “categorically denied involvement in the attack”; Israeli officials did not respond to the
allegation.
Annex A. Additional IED Resources
If your organisation has unclassified, validated density or trends data that you wish to share with the wider civil-
military community, we would be pleased if you could provide this information to the CimicWeb Security and
CIED Desk Officer Mark Checchia, [email protected]. As always, your comments and feedback are
welcome. Please email comments to the CFC Executive Officer, [email protected]. We encourage you
to share this unclassified thematic report with other interested civilian or military personnel.
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Annex A: Additional IED and C-IED Resources
Defence Against Suicide Bombing, Course 1 report, NATO Centre of Excellence Defence Against Terrorism
(COE-DAT)
Defence Against Suicide Bombing, Course 2 report, NATO COE-DAT
Defence Against Suicide Bombing, Course 3 report, NATO COE-DAT
Warfighter Support. Challenges Confronting DOD's Ability to Coordinate and Oversee Its Counter-
Improvised Explosive Device Efforts Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Oct 2009
Improving Situational Awareness in the Counter-IED Fight with the Utilization of Unmanned Sensor
Systems JIEDDO June 2009
Dragon's Claws: The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as a Weapon of Strategic Influence JIEDDO,
March 2009
“Suicide Terrorism: A Global Threat”. PBS.org. October 2009
“Combating the No. 1 killer of troops in Afghanistan” CNN, May 2010
Attack the Network, Defeat the Device and Train the Force: US Outlines its Counter-IED Strategy Defence
Update, March 2008
Recent CFC C-IED Publications
“Improvised Explosive Devices: Trends & Issues, November 2011 in Review”, December 2011. This report
provides a summary of notable IED events in November 2011. Also include a topical report on Boko Haram,
an insurgent group operating in Nigeria.
“Improvised Explosive Devices: Trends & Issues, October 2011 in Review”, November 2011. This paper
discusses the impact of high-profile attacks, such as vehicle-borne IEDs and suicide bomber attacks. Other
topics include illegal transfer of calcium aluminium nitrate into Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula IED activities in Yemen over the past several years.
“Summary of Notable Security Incidents & Trends Involving Explosive Devices – September 2011”,
October 2011. This document provides a summary of improvised explosive devices (IED) related events and
trends by global regions during September 2011.