roadside bomb news stories on Newser

Marine's Plea Deal Ends Haditha Trial

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:53:30 CST

A US Marine pleaded guilty in a court martial today for his role in the infamous 2005 Haditha killings, the AP reports. Admitting to dereliction of duty, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich faces up to 3 months confinement, loss of pay, and demotion to private. Nine counts of manslaughter were dropped...

Roadside Bombs Kill 19 in Afghanistan

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:03:29 CDT

Two roadside bombs killed 19 people and wounded four today in Afghanistan as civilians are increasingly being caught in crossfire of the fighting between the Taliban and the US-led coalition. A minibus ran over a bomb in Nahri Sarraj district of Helmand province, with the blast killing all 18 passengers,...

Double Blasts Kill 35 in Iraq

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:08:25 CDT

Double blasts from a car bomb and a roadside bombing at a parking lot outside a city council building north of Baghdad killed at least 35 people today, Iraqi police and hospital officials said. The attack started when insurgents first detonated a car bomb around noon in the parking lot...

Afghan Blast Kills 7 US Troops

Thu, 26 May 2011 22:39:34 CDT

Nine NATO service members were killed Thursday in Afghanistan, including seven US troops and another NATO service member killed when a powerful bomb exploded in a field where they were patrolling on foot, officials said. Two Afghan policemen also died and two others were wounded in the explosion in the...

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 9

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:27:27 CDT

Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-packed cars outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone today, killing at least nine and wounding 23, officials said. The blasts marked the start of a violent day in the Iraqi capital, where another bombing and a jewelry heist left three more dead and 13 wounded. The...

Pentagon's Anti-IED Agency a $17B Failure

Kevin Spak — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:22:38 CDT

After roadside bombs emerged as insurgents’ weapon of choice in Iraq, the Pentagon in 2006 created an agency to deal with the threat. In the years since, that agency has grown to a whopping 1,900 employees, has spent $17 billion—and has precious little to show for it, according...

Roadside Bomb Brings US Afghan Toll to 21 in 5 Days

Rob Quinn — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:06:12 CDT

Four US troops were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan today, bringing the American death toll to 21 since Friday. The US death toll for August now stands at 53, almost all of whom were killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, the...

New Navy Device Uses Radio Waves to Blow Up IEDs

Jane Yager — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:08:37 CDT

After using lasers, projectiles, and jammers in the fight against roadside bombs, the Pentagon last week unveiled a secret new weapon designed to defeat IEDs: radio waves. The new weapon, a beam of radio-frequency energy, can detonate IEDs from a distance and could potentially be used against other types of...

'Hurt Locker' Brit Dies Disarming Afghan Bomb

Rob Quinn — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:18:56 CST

A British soldier with the kind of chillingly dangerous job featured in the movie Hurt Locker has been killed disarming a roadside bomb to clear a route for a new Afghan offensive. Warrant Officer David Markland, 36, had survived 8 stints in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Times of London...