IED training in Afghanistan a matter of life and death

IDENTIFYING a discarded water bottle as either a piece of rubbish or a bomb trigger can be a critical task for troops in Afghanistan.

IDENTIFYING a discarded water bottle as either a piece of rubbish or a bomb trigger can be a critical task for troops in Afghanistan.

Resourceful insurgents will use just about anything to construct improvised explosive devices.

Saw blades, pieces of car tyre, foil from cigarette packets, bed springs and shampoo bottles are among the pieces of junk that have been converted into deadly weapons.

It is this makeshift method of murder that has killed 14 of the 37 fallen Australians whose images adorn the front wall of the Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration (RSO&I) room at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.

Everyone who steps foot in Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force is guided through a four-day course that begins in that room.

The RSO&I course is aimed at stopping more names and faces being added to the wall.

The current head of the training team is Captain Chris Stuart.

"It is our last opportunity to ensure people possess the right skill sets to be employed in theatre," Capt. Stuart said.

"I find that when people get off the plane the reality that they are on deployment really hits them."

Capt. Stuart and his team show participants how to save the life of someone injured by explosives or bullets.

He said people's injuries were classified in three ways.

They were those who would definitely die, those who would definitely survive and those who would survive if given sufficient treatment.

"We have them able to put a tourniquet on in 30 seconds or less with their eyes closed."

Participants are also taken to a firing range for pistol and light automatic weapons training before spending time with counter-improvised explosive device instructor Sergeant Michael Bisset.

Sgt Bisset takes them to a range that replicates scenarios involving explosive devices.

He teaches them about the key signs for which to look, whether they be on the ground, in a vehicle or on a suicide bomber's person.

"There is a multitude of ways and insurgents are absolutely brilliant at improvising," Sgt Bisset said.

"If rubbish is not disposed of properly it will be used against us."

He also demonstrates the threat of indirect fire.

This occurs when insurgents fire indiscriminately at a target on the chance that they hit something.

"They will set up on the side of hills and literally guess."

Potential IED ingredients

 water bottles

 car tyres

 bed springs

 bike springs

 saw blades

 foil from cigarette packets

Originally published as IED training in Afghanistan a matter of life and death