Friday, May 04, 2007

Odierno: EFP attacks hit record high in April

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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...

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 to 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.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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