Foreign Affairs

ISIS Now Using ‘Mad Max’ Style Suicide Vehicles

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The Islamic State is using armored suicide car bombs in the fight against the Iraqi Security Forces, Australia’s Defense chief told reporters Wednesday.

Four #ISIS SVBIEDs that hit #IraqiForces in al-Tayaran neighborhood of #Mosul #Iraq pic.twitter.com/el9sQPdPwE

— Aldin

Suicide borne vehicles have long been used by Islamic terrorists in Iraq, but ISIS has “industrialized” the production of such weapons. It’s the tactic they use the most, one Iraqi commander told the LA times. He elaborated that “there were 23 on the first day of our offensive,” in just his section of the battle for Western Mosul.

“These could come as just vehicles that are loaded (with explosives), but more likely now in what you would hear termed ‘Mad Max vehicles’ — lots of steel around them, small slits for the drivers to see, and they’re predominantly suicide attacks,” Australian Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin told reporters.

Iraqi Forces that liberated areas of Mosul often find abandoned car bomb factories, which are capable of producing the deadly vehicles in just two days. ISIS has refined the industrial production to include division of labor. By the groups own admission it used nearly 900 suicide car bombs in 2016 alone.

To make matters worse, the Iraqi Security Forces are now trying to retake an area of the city with much narrower streets. This renders their armored humvee’s useless in the area, which often serve as the first line of defense against suicide car bombs. The urban area environment also does not allow for the use of missiles, because of the range that ISIS engages the Iraqi Security Forces at.

“Sometimes, you just have to run,” an Iraqi commander lamented.

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