Colombo (News 1st): There is a lot of confusion regarding the terms “controlled explosion” or “controlled detonation” so this is an attempt to clarify it.

According to the army media unit, a controlled detonation or explosion is a precautionary measure taken by armed forces when they deem that a suspicious object could pose a threat to the lives of those around it and the lives of those sent in to examine it.

Security sources explained that a controlled detonation is used to destroy the detonator of a bomb in order to ensure that it does not activate and cause greater damage. A controlled detonation is not the first round choice of bomb disposal squads, their first attempt is to diffuse a bomb. However, if defusing a bomb becomes too risky then a decision is taken to adopt a controlled explosion.

A controlled explosion takes place when a small explosive is used to destroy the detonator of a bomb. The ensuing fire in some cases can wipe out traces of the main explosive without triggering a secondary explosion.

So simply put a controlled detonation or explosion is a tactic adopted by the armed forces when they believe that there is a viable threat and there is no other option.

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