Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Detonation in Iraq

Filmed by the Iraqi Resistance Forces in October, 2004

An example of what might have happened to the munitions looted from the arsenal the US Army bypassed in the Iraqi desert can be seen in this short film clip.

The IED was made from an artillery shell modified so that it could be remotely detonated by an electrical impulse. The modified shell was then buried in a shallow hole in the roadbed. This modification is an extremely dangerous operation and it is carried out under the most unfavorable conditions. However, its mastery by the IRF is attested to by the fact that it has caused most of the 20,000 casualties suffered by the invading US forces.

The force of the blast shock wave causes the camerman to momentarily lose his aim and the camera points skyward. Using 1100 feet per second as the speed of sound in air, and assuming he is standing at the remote detonation point, we can estimate that the IED was fired from a point between 500 and 700 feet from where it was buried.

The file size is 1.23 MB.