Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
'Sticky IED' Attacks Increase In Iraq
Listen
• 3:26
STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Renee Montagne is away today. I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.
INSKEEP: Roadside bombs are still killing people. These improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are sometimes very sophisticated and sometimes very simple - some explosives jammed in a tin can. But either way they demand a sophisticated response. Some U.S. troops are fighting them with math, as we'll hear in a moment. First, we go to Baghdad, where American troops are no longer patrolling but Iraqis are very much exposed. NPR's Kelly McEvers reports.
KELLY MCEVERS: Ahmed Mawla is an explosives disposal instructor with the Iraqi police. He collects IEDs. Some are made with plastic washing machine timers. Most have crude batteries.
Support for LAist comes from
MCEVERS: (Through translator) This is like a sample of one IED that uses this action and reaction effect.
MCEVERS: Trigger.
MCEVERS: (Through translator) Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEEPING)
MCEVERS: (Through translator) As you see, it's stuck to the vehicle, and when he moves or when he stops them, the reaction would ensue.
MCEVERS: And the car blows up. Jihad al Jabari heads the anti-explosive unit in the Iraqi Police Department. As we sit him down for an interview, he gets a call reporting a sticky IED that wounded an official with the Baghdad city council.
MCEVERS: (Foreign language spoken)
Support for LAist comes from
MCEVERS: Jabari says during the worst years of the Iraq war, there were 50 IEDs a day, as opposed the 100 IEDs a month now. Back then, he says, militants were building IEDs that were much bigger than those used today. That's because militants used munitions that were left behind by Saddam Hussein's regime.
MCEVERS: (Through translator) In 2005, al-Qaida was developing its capabilities like a day by day. What helped them in that is that there were like caches of explosives all over Iraq, like warehouses where explosives were stacked.
MCEVERS: Right now there are a handful of Iraqi units in the police, federal police, army, and various ministries tasked with gathering intelligence. But they don't always share information.
MCEVERS: (Foreign language spoken)
MCEVERS: Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Baghdad. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity. -
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said. -
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes. -
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach.
Best of LAist