On February 27, 2018, a small youtube channel posted a video titled "Terrorists' bomb-car in Damascus". The video showed an up-armoured SVBIED, but the description of the video went on to claim that the Syrian Arab Army had captured a Faylaq al-Rahman car bomb in Damascus, more specifically in the …
al-Qaeda
Last Resort – When Main Battle Tanks Are Used As SVBIEDs
The Islamic State's (IS) extensive acquisition of military armoured vehicles from government forces in both Syria and Iraq has been a well-documented phenomenon. Especially during their initial massive expansion in the 2013-14 period, but also sporadically over the years. These seized main battle …
Bouquet of Death: Why ISIS Fighters Bring Flowers to Suicide Bombings
Recently I wrote a short article for Popular Front that was just released, about why IS fighters sometimes mount flowers to their SVBIEDs. The article can be read here on the new Popular Front website. …
SVBIEDs & The Offensive Role of Heavy Construction Equipment
In historical and contemporary wars alike, the establishment of qualitative defensive fortifications has been one of the, if not the most important aspect of preparing for the possibility of an armed attack by an opposing force. These defensive fortifications typically take the shape of trenches and …
Islamic State of Iraq – A Snapshot of SVBIED Design & Use (2007-2012)
The group we know today as the ‘Islamic State’ only became known as such after a series of successive transformations and name changes over the course of more than a decade. One of its predecessor groups was the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). Proclaimed in mid-October 2006[1] after the death of Abu …