April 30,2008: The use of roadside bombs in Iraq has been rising since January, when it hit a low of 114. By April it had risen to over 250. The previous high had been 432 in May, 2007, as the successful surge offensive was getting underway. The big difference now is the majority of the bombs are being placed by Shia terrorists. Most of these men belong to pro-Iranian groups, that want to turn Iraq into a religious dictatorship. Many of these bombs are built noticeably different from the ones employed by Sunni Arab terrorists over the past four years. The Shia militias received bomb making training either in Iran, or from Iran bomb specialists brought into Iraq to conduct courses. The most obvious example of this is the shaped charge, self-forging projectile bomb, an armor piercing device that requires a machined component. This often comes from Iran. As with the Sunni Arab bombs, most of the Shia ones are detected, or shut down with electronic devices before they can detonate. One similarity is that most of the bomb casualties are Iraqis, both security forces (army, police) or civilians who had the misfortune to be nearby when the thing went off.