WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The US Defense Department on Monday named a retired four-star general to head a joint task force on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.

    Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appointed retired Army General Montgomery Meigs to replace a one-star general to lead the military's effort to defend against roadside bombs used by Iraqi insurgents against US troops.

    Meigs, the former commander of NATO's peacekeeping force in Bosnia, would take over from Brigadier General Joseph Votel, who would still be part of the program. He would create a new center at Fort Irwin, California, to train troops to deal with the threat before they are deployed to Iraq.

    "The challenge we face from IEDs is in part technological, but goes beyond that to encompass the manner in which our forces operate, their tactics and their procedures," Rumsfeld said in a statement.

    He said Meigs would "bring a senior commander's operational perspective to the overall IED effort, which has been ongoing since 2003."

    The Army created a task force to counter IEDs in October 2003, and the Pentagon set up a joint IED task force in July 2004.

    Over 2,100 US soldiers have been killed and nearly 16,000 wounded in the Iraq war since it was started in March 2003, according to the Pentagon. IEDs are said to be the major cause of death and injury for US troops in Iraq. Enditem