When you're having a bad day, remember
this: it could be worse.
This was a close call the soldiers in Iraq
that caught this on video: it is an IED (an Improvised Explosive
Device, or roadside bomb). There have been at least 1,600 fatalities by IED's in the Iraq War to
date.
"IEDs can be prepared almost everywhere,
with materials that can be acquired from agricultural and medical
supplies. The preparation does not require highly technical knowledge.
In fact, many 'IED engineers' practiced what they have learned through
instructions they received from documents distributed by terrorist
organizations, on CDROMs or over the internet.
"As they are not based on standard
production formula, IEDs are more difficult to track and detect,
(although they sometime have traces that can identify their origin).
When constructed properly, IEDs can defeat even the highly protected
threats, including main battle tanks and heavily armored bulldozers.
Some IEDs utilize very heavy (200 pounds and more) explosive devices,
buried below the surface of unpaved or paved roads, where they are
covered, wait for activation by remote control. Such activation is
usually dependent on opportunity."
