Liquid Improvised Explosive Device

• Liquid explosives seem to have made a comeback in Jammu and Kashmir militancy theatre after 17 years as a recent raid by police in the Union territory led to the recovery of such "difficult-to-detect (d2d)" Improvised Explosive Devices.
• Forensic examination indicated that it could be trinitrotoluene (TNT) or nitroglycerine, generally used in dynamites.

About Improvised Explosive Device (IED):

• It is a type of unconventional explosive weapon that can take any form and be activated in a variety of ways.
• They are used by criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers and insurgents.
• Because they are improvised, IEDs can come in many forms, ranging from a small pipe bomb to a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage and loss of life.
• The extent of damage caused by an IED depends on its size, construction, and placement, and whether it incorporates a high explosive or propellant.
• The term IED came into common usage during the Iraq War that began in 2003.
• Components of an IED:
  • All IEDs consist of an initiating mechanism: a detonator, an explosive charge and a casing or collection of projectiles (such as ball bearings or nails) that produces lethal fragments upon detonation.
• Materials used as explosives in IEDs:
  • In practice, IEDs can be made of many different kinds of objects and materials, including artillery or mortar rounds, aerial bombs, certain types of fertilizers, TNT and other explosives.
  • IEDs can also contain radiological, chemical or biological components to increase their lethal and psychological effects.