Projectile Bomb Attacks Hit Record High In Iraq

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Source: Washington Post

Projectile Bomb Attacks Hit Record High in Iraq
U.S. Says Weapons Are Made in Iran

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 4, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- Attacks in Iraq involving lethal weapons that U.S. officials say are made in Iran hit a record high last month, despite efforts to crack down on networks supplying the armor-piercing weapons known as explosively formed projectiles, according to a senior U.S. commander.

The number of attacks with the projectiles rose to 65 in April, said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who oversees day-to-day U.S. military operations in Iraq. "The overwhelming majority" were in predominantly Shiite eastern Baghdad, Odierno said in an interview this week. Officials have said the projectiles are used almost exclusively by Shiite fighters against U.S. military targets.

The growing use of the projectiles is a major concern for American commanders because the weapons are powerful enough to punch through the heaviest U.S. armored vehicles, including the Abrams tank. As a result, the weapons are far more lethal than other roadside bombs, and have been a factor in keeping U.S. troop casualties from dropping despite improvements in the military's ability to detect and defeat roadside bombs.

Averaging about the size of a coffee can, explosively formed projectiles detonate and send a cone-shaped slug of metal at high speed toward the target, acting as a spear that's able not only to penetrate armor but also shatter it, creating debris that inflicts further damage. To function correctly, the projectiles require components with sophisticated machining that often come from Iran, according to U.S. military officials.

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