Bigger, More and Jammer

The Pentagon's Joint IED Defeat Organization feels frustrated that American military deaths are increasingly caused by makeshift explosives. It just doesn't seem fair.

“We are instinctively prone to look for technological solutions,” said one senior Pentagon official. “That’s the way (Americans)are wired.

Surely they should be able to outcompute the enemy?

“We (need) better intelligence ..and that will require changing the attitudes of the local population ...the Iraqis will have to help us root out the people involved.”

So whose tougher?

"Those placed by Shiite forces are increasingly sophisticated, using technology ... from Iran. The Sunni-based insurgents plant bombs of a more homemade variety, but still deadly"

But surely there must be some fanatics somewhere?

Always. "Those associated with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia strive for the spectacular ... in order to generate hostility and headlines."

Thanks to the 02Jun07 New York Times