Improvised explosive device : yellow palm oil container

Yellow palm oil container with a red screw-on lid. The lid has a single hole through it, approximately 4mm in diametre. The labels have been torn or rubbed off the container and the container has been exposed to heat on one side which has slightly melted the plastic.

Uncovered in a improvised explosives factory, this sort of yellow palm oil container would be filled with homemade ammonium nitrate and aluminium explosive. Palm oil is a yellow butter-like oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm, used as an edible fat and in soap, and these containers are readily available.

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have caused more casualties to Australian service personnel in Afghanistan than any other weapon. They usually consist of four principal components arranged in an electrical circuit: a trigger or switch, a power source, a detonator, and a main explosive charge. The main charge often contains metal fragments to increase the blast effect.