C-IED OPERATIONS IN SOMALIA
A modified Nokia 1280 mobile telephone recovered from an incident scene.
... OVER THE PAST NINE MONTHS THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASED USE OF MOBILE TELEPHONES BY AS, WHICH IS MOST PROBABLY THE RESULT OF AN IMPROVED MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK WITHIN SOMALIA…
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Counter-IED Report, Autumn/Winter 2012
among the security forces, killing more than 50 soldiers with IEDs. The most notable operation involved a complex attack against the AMISOM Force Headquarters (FHQ) in the September of that year. This attack included the use a vehicleborne IED (VBIED) together with two person-borne IEDs (PBIEDs) to target the AMISOM command element located within its Mogadishu International Airport (MIA) based FHQ, resulting in 22 fatalities including the Deputy Force Commander (DFC). The event demonstrated that AS, given the opportunity, was capable of planning and executing complex attacks against viable targets. Although there was a decline in IED activity during 2010, this figure rose drastically throughout 2011/12 as AS continued to conduct attacks against the TFG, AMISOM and the newly formed Somali Police Force (SPF). Initially, the devices consisted of explosive remnants of war (ERWs) such as a mortars and projectiles being used as the main charge, and initiated by a basic motorcycle alarm system. However, over a period of time AS began to fabricate its own containers to meet its own tactical requirements, and subsequently began to ‘harvest’ the high explosive from the ERW. As a result, AS was then able to add a number of additional capabilities to its IED inventory, including directional fragmentation charges, together with those with the ability to penetrate
vehicle armour. Several incidents have demonstrated the willingness of AS to experiment with different explosive mixtures to further enhance the effects; however, the basic foundation for all these mixtures remained harvested high explosives (RDX/TNT). Although there have been recoveries of home-made explosive (HME), the availability of ERW has resulted in the use of HME remaining somewhat sporadic to date. The preferred TTP of AS has been the use of the radio-controlled IED (RCIED), especially when engaging AMISOM or government vehicles. This has been primarily achieved by the use of a variety of motorcycle alarm systems that, although restricted by a limited range, do provide AS with a basic but effective RCIED capability for an urban conurbation such as Mogadishu. Over the past nine months there has been an increased use of mobile telephones by AS, which is most probably the result of an improved mobile communications network within Somalia. This provides the perpetrators with a more reliable system that has the tactical advantage of being operationally effective over an extended range. In October 2011, a number of pressure plate IEDs (PPIEDs) were recovered as part of a find of bomb-making equipment (BME) on the outskirts of Mogadishu. UN counter-IED (C-IED) staff assessed that this find may indicate a change in the TTPs of AS, and AMISOM subsequently encountered its first PPIED in April 2012. The device had been emplaced on a vulnerable point (VP) on the approach route to a forward operating base (FOB), and where a successful render safe procedure (RSP) by the AMISOM explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team resulted in the recovery of a pressure switch consisting of four hacksaw blades, a motorcycle battery and a large main charge together with an electric detonator. To date, there have been multiple recoveries of PPIEDs incorporating hacksaw blades, all of which follow a similar design. As the AMISOM mission expands well beyond the confines of Mogadishu, and with units now operating in the more remote regions, the PPIED remains a tactical threat in relation to the movement of AMISOM vehicle assets and personnel.