Background On August 5, 2013, two suicide bombers belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) detonated their vehicles inside Menagh Airbase in the Northern Aleppo countryside. By the next day, the remaining loyalist holdout located in and around the base command centre had been …
Islamic State in Libya
The Myth of the Remote-Controlled Car Bomb
Two weeks ago, I published an in-depth report with European Eye on Radicalization, in which I examined the who's and what's of Remote-Controlled Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (RC-VBIED) use. In the report, I compare and contrast the use of such devices by a variety of non-state actors in …
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 …
The SVBIEDs of the Islamic State in Libya – History & Analysis
*Note* Before delving into the fascinating SVBIED designs constructed and used by the Islamic State contingent in Libya, I've decided to dedicate the first section of this article to the history behind the group's rise and decline in this north-African country. Historical knowledge surrounding this …