The answer to all this is ROP (Road Opening Party) as also what you all ahve suggested.

We send out a party with engineers to check the road physically and 500 yards on either side. Very time consuming and labour intensive, but it saves life. Then they picquet at points and patrol their area of responsibility so that observation remains.

It has saved many lives in many areas.

However, it gets monotonous and the troops get bored and that is when whatever bad has to happen, happens.

The terrorists use three IEDs in tandem firing off at intervals so that most of the vehicles are hit!

Then they use aeromodle aircrafts to also bomb. So, they are clever ticks.