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A bomb disposal squad member tries to pick up an IED while wearing an armoured suit
JAMMU: The device that brought down the Russian Metrojet airliner with 224 people on board in Egypt's Sinai this month, is no stranger to bomb disposal experts of the Indian Army.
A photo of what ISIS's magazine Dabiq says was an explosive used to bring down a Russian airliner. (AFP PHOTO/HO/DABIQ)
First detected more than two decades ago in Jammu and Kashmir, the 'soda can' improvised explosive device or IED is an easy to assemble killer which packs as much punch as a hand grenade if stuffed with a kilo of plastic explosive like RDX.
In the pressurised hold of a modern airliner, a soda can bomb would be even more potent. An explosion would shatter the airframe triggering violent decompression of the cabin which would suffocate passengers besides causing enough structural damage to bring the airliner down.
An Improvised Explosive Device made with bottles of Pepsi
At the headquarters of an Army counter explosive device unit in Akhnoor near Jammu, a model of a soda can bomb is one among many IEDs on display. None of them look like bombs at all - there is a teddy bear, a doll, a bouquet of flowers, a carton with four soft-drink bottles, a rolled-up mattress. Move any of these, even slightly, and a siren sounds. If these were real, you would be dead - there would be no siren, only an explosion.
An IED hidden inside a phone
"It's a cat and mouse game," says Lt Colonel N Roshyan, who commands this Northern Command unit. Dealing with plastic explosives like RDX, he explains, is a big challenge. "They are light in weight. They can be moulded into any shape and size and they are a little difficult to detect which makes it a popular tool for terrorists."
An IED hidden inside a cooking gas cylinder
And to explain just how difficult it is to detect an IED, I am asked to walk through what looks like a park that you would find in any neighbourhood. Except, it's not. It's an improvised explosive device range.
As I walk across a barricade, an alarm sounds. I have just tripped an infra-red sensor. This could have been linked to a bomb which would instantly have been triggered. A few feet away, I am asked to sign into a guest book at a guard room. I open the book, an alarm sounds. And I know what that means.
Inside the guest book, an Improvised Explosive Device has been hidden
As I walk through the park, I step on something that feels like a stone. Except that its an anti-personnel mine. I never saw it and neither would anyone else who would have the misfortune of stepping on it. There are many other examples, all meant to reinforce the point that anything can be a bomb. Being alert is not an option.
For more than two decades, the Army has learned, often the hard way, just how deadly improvised explosive devices can be. And how, they are often impossible to detect without the sharpest set of trained eyes.
Today, the Army uses a host of techniques to ward off the danger of IEDs. Road-opening parties in Jammu and Kashmir, which are out at the crack of dawn, specifically look out for IEDs, land mines and hidden home-assembled devices under culverts. These can be triggered either by remote control or through a fixed line which leads to a terrorist with the trigger in his hand.
IEDs can also be fitted with timers through which devices can be programmed to explode even 100 days later. According to Lt. Colonel Roshyan, "In the past two decades, we have been able to modify our drills and operational procedures. We have identified and procured relevant equipment. Our training methodology is dynamic and contemporary."
For soldiers out on patrol in an area with suspected IEDs, there are several layers of defence. Leading from the front are sniffer dogs - highly trained Labrador Retrievers or German Shepards which move in a set pattern on the instruction of their handlers. Each dog has been trained at the Army's Remount Veterinary Corps in Meerut.
A highly trained Labrador Retriever named Dante spots an IED hidden inside a briefcase
The training schedule of these dogs remains constant. Refresher courses every few weeks at the unit level ensure that the dog's mind remains stimulated so it is alert in changing scenarios.
At the training range, I am introduced to a five-year-old Labrador Retriever named Dante. He's one of the best IED detectors in the Northern Command, a dog's whose nose saves lives. I follow Dante and his handler into a mock bus stop. All of a sudden, the dog freezes and quietly sits. He has detected something. His handler lifts up a bedding next to the dog and sure enough there is an explosive underneath.
Accompanying Army road-opening party are soldiers carrying jammers in backpacks which disrupt the signals of remote-controlled devices that can trigger IEDs. In other areas, jammers may be deployed in fixed locations while vehicle-based jammers are also used.
While the Army is reluctant to speak on the specific capabilities of the jammers, NDTV has learnt that most devices can operate in various modes including a "pre-initiation mode" where an IED with a remote-control can be made to explode by the Army without any input from the terrorist. Key to ensuring that the Army remains ahead of terrorists is to ensure that all radio bandwidths are effectively covered by jamming devices at all times.
