Price of components rises dramatically as Taliban supply routes get disrupted
According to outgoing British military commander General Nick Carter, the Taliban’s capacity to prepare improvised explosive devices has been diminished due to the disruption of key supply routes by NATO forces in Afghanistan. Carter says anecdotal reports show increased prices for key chemical ingredients and other components, like detonators. IEDs are the biggest killer of British and U.S. troops in Afghanistan, accounting for over half of all fatalities. “The price of ammonium nitrate has increased 10 times. Basic IED components by 11 times. With these constraints and the economic impact of the poppy blight this year, we believe it is difficult for them to go on the offensive,” Carter told reporters.