From the Wikileaks Afghanistan war logs: every roadside bomb and IED attack between 2004 and 2009, with full details

The improvised explosive device (IED) is the Taliban’s weapon of choice, a deadly yet effective counter to the technological superiority of their western adversaries in Afghanistan. It is the biggest single cause of deaths of British troops in Helmand and has proven impossible to completely counter.

In their simplest form, IEDs are roadside bombs triggered by command wire, radio signal, mobile phone or by the victim, usually by walking or driving over the devices. Their explosive power comes from shells, diesel or fertiliser.

Despite their crudeness, the IEDs are a fearsome enemy. Insurgents employ ruses to outwit electronic counter-measures (ECM) – sophisticated devices used by western soldiers to jam radio signals. Earlier this year all-plastic IEDS, which cannot be detected by traditional mine-sweepers, started to appear on the battlefield. And they are every deadlier, with some able to penetrate the most thick-skinned armoured vehicle.





Extracted from the full Wikileaks database, this spreadsheet provides a unique record of attacks since 2004. It only covers roadside bombs and does not include person- or vehicle-borne suicide bombs. We have left out hoaxes (counted as IED incidents in official figures) and only include IED explosions, IED ambushes - where an explosion is combined with an ambush by insurgents.

This database shows the figures soared in the run-up to the 2009 presidential elections, with more than 100 attacks in three days.

The speadsheets are huge - if you’re looking to navigate around the incidents, you may find our interactive guide easier to use. But if you want the raw data (including co-ordinates and details) this is the place.







• DATA: IED explosions and ambushes (XLS file - 8.6MB)

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