Outlook Weekend: The Bomb Disposal Men

Abu Ahmad decided to start work defusing bombs planted by so-called Islamic State in Syria after his nephew was injured by one. He finds them booby trapped behind doors, under dead bodies and in wardrobes. As part of a team, he's helped disable thousands of bombs. Kim Hughes is the British Army's most highly decorated bomb disposal expert. In 2009 the greatest threat to British soldiers in Afghanistan was IEDs - Improvised Explosive Devices, which killed and injured thousands of troops and civilians. Kim was awarded the George Cross after defusing an unprecedented 119 bombs in just six months in Afghanistan. Image: An IED exploding while being destroyed by troops in Afghanistan. Credit: John Moore/Getty Images