IEDs are commonly used as roadside bombs, or homemade bombs. The term "IED" was coined by the British Army during the Northern Ireland conflict to refer to booby traps made by the IRA, and entered common use in the U.S. during the Iraq War. [1][2]

May 19, 2022 · An improvised explosive device (IED) attack is the use of a "homemade" bomb and/or destructive device to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. IEDs are used by criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents.

Dec 18, 2013 · The IED has killed more than 3%2C000 U.S. troops and wounded 33%2C000; A weapon that costs a few hundred dollars each spawned a multibillion-dollar American response

Apr 13, 2025 · Improvised explosive device (IED), a homemade bomb, constructed from military or nonmilitary components, that is frequently employed by guerrillas, insurgents, and other nonstate actors as a crude but effective weapon against a conventional military force.

Dec 12, 2018 · An IED is a type of unconventional explosive weapon that can take any form and be activated in a variety of ways. It kills soldiers and civilians alike. NATO developed an action plan to detect and neutralise IEDs, to identify and disrupt the networks supporting this threat and to prepare and protect forces.

Because IED attacks are a favored strategy in modern war, the U.S. Department of Defense continues research aimed at IED countermeasures. Keep reading to learn more about modern warfare and military technology.

An improvised explosive device (IED) attack is the use of a “homemade” bomb and/or destructive device to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. IEDs are used by criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insur-gents.

Dec 18, 2011 · U.S. and Iraqi soldiers display "sticky IEDs" — magnetic bombs that militants attach to vehicles — found during a raid at a checkpoint near the Iraq-Iran border. Army Sgt. Maj. Todd Burnett spent...

Sep 2, 2009 · The IED enables small insurgent cells to cause casualties in large and powerful military formations and to reduce their risk by incorporating standoff.

May 1, 2017 · Through 2010, the IED was winning — the number of attacks required to cause a casualty actually fell from 14 to 11. Total IED casualties spiked thereafter, as a surge of U.S. forces implemented a counter-insurgency strategy that required more dismounted patrols among the Afghan population.