Islamic State's armoured car bombs confiscated in Mosul

FP Staff • July 16, 2017, 15:13:53 IST

Islamic State’s weapon of choice is a poor man’s guided missile that militants have found a way to produce on an industrial scale.

Islamic State’s weapon of choice is a poor man’s guided missile that militants have found a way to produce on an industrial scale. In Iraq and Syria, “car bombs,” have become a bit of a misnomer — these are civilian vehicles outfitted like primitive tanks, assembled in primitive factories are seen at Federal Police headquarters after being confiscated in Mosul, Iraq. Reuters

Of 1,112 suicide bombings carried out by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq in 2016, 815 of them used vehicles laden with explosives, according to an infographic released by Amaq, a news agency affiliated with Islamic State. Reuters

For Islamic State, the car bomb is an ideal weapon. Anyone who can drive can command one. They’re cheap, using explosives made out of ANFO, a mixture of ammonium nitrate, which is found in fertilizer and diesel oil. Reuters

Its designs also evolved, says Devin Morrow, a technical advisor at Conflict Armament Research, a group that tracks weapons in contemporary conflicts. Rockets and Tank barrels are often hidden in the back of trucks for a surprise ‘open, fire and detonate’ to increase the damage inflicted.

A tank gun hidden inside a truck, made by Islamic State militants, to avoid attack from planes. According to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, a standard-sized sedan can deliver 1,000 pounds of explosives, with a lethal range of 125 feet. Reuters