Scavenging For Bomb Making Material

A Canadian soldier from the NATO-led coalition uses a knife to probe for roadside bombs on a route that is frequently mined by Taliban insurgents near Panjwaii town in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, October 18, 2007. The vast majority of Canadian deaths on the Afghan mission are from roadside bombs. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly (AFGHANISTAN)

Fertilizer Bombs In Afghanistan -- Strategy Page

November 7, 2008: In Afghanistan, the Taliban have apparently run out of munitions left over from the 1980s war with Russia, and are increasingly using fertilizer based explosives for their roadside bombs. Mix fertilizer with the right amount of diesel or gasoline, use a detonator to set it off, and it goes off like second rate explosives.

Fertilizer explosives are bulkier than the kind of military explosives found in 1980s era bombs and shells. The explosive power varies with the skill of whoever is mixing the fertilizer and fuel. Thus the roadside bombs are often less powerful than the ones using military or commercial explosives, and often much larger and easier to spot. NATO troops, learning from their Iraqi experienced U.S. counterparts, are getting more effective at spotting these bombs.

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My Comment: This is an interesting article. It indicates that the Taliban's supply for certain munitions are limited.