The Mahdi army in Iraq has added a new and simple yet lethal weapon to its armoury. It is the Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions, or IRAMs. The US army has termed it the ‘flying IEDs.’ It is a low-tech weapon that has a propane tank with explosives, which is powered by a 107mm rocket. The target sees massive destruction. The deadliest IRAM attack was in Shaab area of Baghdad. It occurred when an IRAM went off accidentally igniting four other IRAMs on the truck. The attack killed 18 Iraqis, wounded 29 and damaged 15 buildings. The intended target were the US soldiers at the Forward Operating Base there.

One shudders to think what would have happened to the soldiers if the IRAM attack had gone as planned. No wonder the US army in Iraq is taking the new threat very seriously. To start with, it has announced generous rewards for any information on any intended IRAM attack.

The problem is that the weapon is low tech and can be easily assembled. Propane is used in every Iraqi home for cooking and hence widely available. The rocket is said to come from Iran. It is said to be of Chinese make and part of the arms supply by China to Iran.

The militants have come up with this new weapon after the US army increased the number of checkpoints in Baghdad. This had made the use of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) more difficult. Hence the new IRAMs. The rocket in the weapon enables firing from some distance away. With the ’surge’ ending, the US army has laid emphasis on small outposts in densely populated areas in Baghdad. The IRAMs could wreak havoc on these outposts.

Col. William B. Hickman of the 101st Airborne Division puts in words the deadly threat from IRAMs.

IRAM attacks could be very tragic against us. We take them very seriously.

Source: Washington Post, Long War Journal