Posted on 04/28/2006 9:17:28 PM PDT by neverdem
Among the Iraqi documents released to the public, at least five deal with the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One such document (CMPC-2003-005914) is a ten-page worksheet.* The first two pages are entitled, "Annual Plan for the Mechanical Workshop, Sheen-27 -- 1999"; the last eight are entitled "First Season Report of the Sheen-27 Work Plan for 1999." The report of the CIA's Iraq Survey Group explains that "Sheen-27" was a section of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) responsible for producing explosives. It had a Chemistry Department, which "developed the explosive materials for the device," an Electronics Department, "which prepared the timers and wiring of the IED," and a Mechanical Department, which "produced the igniters and designed the IED."
The Annual Plans of "Sheen 27" for Producing and Improving IEDs In the period of this report (the "First Season" of 1999**), Sheen-27 produced twenty bombs, "varied in their type and their detonation devices," and it developed "innovative ways of arming them," among other tasks. These bombs went to Saddam's Fedayeen and to two other sections of Iraqi intelligence: M-40, the directorate dealing with the Iraqi opposition, including in Iraqi Kurdistan, and M-5, whose responsibility was counter-intelligence. It also trained representatives of those organizations on how to use these bombs (Sheen-27 had a training unit.)
Another Sheen-27 document (CMPC-2003-005935) from November 1999 details plans to improve bomb-making skills in 2000. A study is to be done on the epoxy used in making the IEDs to find an alternative that does not affect them and research is to be conducted on materials that increase the power of an explosion. This document also deals with training and calls for "preparing theoretical and practical lessons on popular [shaabi, literally, 'of the people'] bombs." Presumably, these IEDs were designed to be relatively easy to use...
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
"The catastrophic history of WWII, if you didn't know who won eventually, would curl your hair."
Reminds me of when I was in college, doing a term paper on WWII. I thought I'd call my veteran uncle for some info.
"What can you tell me about the war?", I said.
"Well", he said, "we won."
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