I would like to back up Kevin B on this one. While I have not driven the Jowz valley route, I have surveyed it from the OP (now unoccupied) that overlooks the valley. Unless you guard a route like that constantly you just cannot be sure it has not been re-mined.
Kevin rightly points out that the threat from VBIEDs, IEDs and suicide bombers is like the weather: it's there, but there isn't much you can do to stop it. The traffic in Kabul is atrociously bad, and pedestrians of every description are constantly scuttling in an and out between the vehicles with packages, boxes,etc. Large commercial vehicles (including lots of POL tankers-good VBIEDs) are everywhere and any one of them, or any one of the many vans, taxis or cars could be aimed at you. Especially when you are stalled in traffic, there isn't alot you can do.You have to get on with the mission. You can mitigate with ballistic protection, stay vigilant, use good tactical driving skills, but these only reduce the risk they don't remove it. As far as the mines go, the baddies are not stupid. If they want to kill an up-armoured HMMVW, they will just stack the AT mines, if they get the chance.
The only way we will reduce the VBIED/IED/suicide bomber threat, at all, is as KevinB suggests to build the trust of the locals by presence patrolling and showing that we are not afraid. If they trust ISAF and OEF, then maybe (just maybe) they will be less receptive and supportive to those who plan these attacks like the one against the DYNCORPS building last week (VBIED). There is no guarantee of this outcome (there is no guarantee of anything here...) but I can't think of a better way. LAVs and other APCs/IFVs have their very important uses but they are not the be-all, end-all and they are unsuited to this type of work.
This patrolling, with 360 degree vision and good hearing, is also the best way to gain HUMINT which is the most vital kind of int in these operations. Rumbling around in LAVs or packed inside the tight confines of a G-Wagen doesn't really cut it. While everybody was keen to get the new G-wagen, now that I've seen it I'm not so sure it is that superior to the Iltis in all respects. The best judges are the soldiers using it. Cheers.