(10-29) 07:08 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) -- A senior military official says the use of homemade bombs extends well beyond Afghanistan and Iraq, making the weapons a global problem that requires an international solution.
In congressional testimony to be delivered Thursday, Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz says there have been more than 3,500 incidents involving improvised explosive devices in the past year and the number is growing.
Metz heads the U.S. military organization tasked with countering the bombs. He says violent extremists have easy access to the materials needed to make IEDs and use telecommunications networks to exchange information about how to improve them.
"This toxic mix allows potential enemies to forge international relationships and to migrate IED technology and techniques accordingly," he said in prepared testimony.
Metz said it's unlikely the use of IEDs will ever be eliminated entirely, but that new, innovative ways must be found to make them too costly to produce and too risky to use.
"Violent extremists will continue to wage conflict against human targets and the weapon of choice will continue to be the IED," he said.
Cooperation with U.S. allies is key to curbing IED use, he adds, but far more needs to be done to establish the necessary partnerships.
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On the Net:
Joint IED Defeat Organization: https://www.jieddo.dod.mil/index.aspx