They have two targets. We are a visible target to them, but they want to cause instability. Some IEDs are command-controlled, so you can actually pick the target you want to harm, but a lot of them are indiscriminate. That's why we see civilian trucks, busloads of children, and other people getting killed by IEDs. If you're going to explode a vehicle full of explosives in downtown Kandahar, you're not just going to take out your military target. Invariably it is the locals--the civilians, children, people in the market and the stores--who end up being targeted. So an IED by its nature is indiscriminate and causes terror and instability. That's what they're all about.
On February 5th, 2008. See this statement in context.