Pentagon
10 July 2008
U.S. commanders in Iraq are concerned that Shiite insurgents are usinga new type of high-powered homemade weapon that uses rockets made inIran and elsewhere. In the most recent attack, on Tuesday innortheastern Baghdad, an Iraqi soldier and a U.S. soldier werewounded. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
The U.S.military calls the weapons Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions(IRAM). They are propane gas tanks loaded with explosives and lashedto rockets. Several IRAMs can be packed in the back of an open truck,and launched by remote control.
One report refers to them asflying roadside bombs, a reference to another relatively crude buthighly effective insurgent weapon that has been the leading cause ofdeath among U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq.
"It does concernus," said Major General Michael Oates. "It is a home-made,multiple-launch rocket system. And it is very dangerous."
MajorGeneral Michael Oates is commander of U.S. and coalition forces incentral Iraq, south of Baghdad. He is concerned even though he has notseen any IRAMs in his area. The new weapons have so far only beenfound in Baghdad, where the U.S. military says they have been used byShiite militias affiliated with Iran, and often powered by Iranian-maderockets.
But Major General Oates says he does not know forsure whether Iran is providing the material, technology or training forthe IRAMs.
"I'm not prepared to state that it's Iranian-madeor Iranian-influenced," he added. "I don't have any information thatwould lead me to believe that. It is an improvised explosive,therefore it's not manufactured the way it is employed. So, somebodyis having to train someone to modify this weapon system. Where thattraining is coming from, I just don't know the specifics on right now."
U.S.officials have accused Iranian agents of providing equipment andtraining for high-powered roadside bombs that have killed several U.S.troops. The Iranian government has denied the charge, even thoughIranian operatives have been captured inside Iraq allegedly working onthe project.
The Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions have beenlaunched into several small American bases, killing three U.S. troopsand wounding 15. But the most deadly IRAM incident involved an abortedattack in early June, in which several of the bombs explodedprematurely, killing 16 Iraqi civilians and two attackers.
In aVOA interview, the spokesman for coalition forces in Baghdad,Lieutenant Colonel Steve Stover, says the IRAMs first appeared latelast year, and there have been fewer than 10 such attacks. He saysthat's far fewer than attacks by roadside bombs, car bombs, snipers,mortars or conventional rockets.
"The IRAM itself, much likethose other weapons systems, is something that we're trying to stay onestep ahead of," he explained. "So, what we're trying to do is find thenetworks that are making these things. There is an award for it, thatleads to the cell leaders or the people who are making the devices."
LieutenantColonel Stover says the military is also taking steps to defend againstthe new weapons, but he would not provide details.
He says therocket-propelled bombs are difficult to hide, because they are launchedon rails that often stick out the back of the trucks where they aremounted. He says they are shot high into the air, but only travel ashort distance.
"It's a home-made system," he noted. "It'ssomething that somebody was taught to make. I mean, I'm not sayingit's a very extremely crude device, but if you take a rail, you putthat in the back of a truck, you put a rocket on it and you light afuse. It depends on how high you put the rail, that's how high it'sgoing to go."
Lieutenant Colonel Stover says while many of therockets used in IRAMs were made in Iran, the military has found somethat were made in Russia and China.