Ever since the conflicts in Syria and Iraq progressed toward semi-conventional fighting in 2013-2014, up-armoured suicide car bombs, or Suicide Vehicle-Borne IEDs (SVBIEDs) have been a recurring feature of the battlefields. Lacking air superiority, non-state actors in both countries have resorted to …
SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces)
From Hajin To Baghouz – Islamic State SVBIED Design & Use
In April 2019 I wrote the most comprehensive report of the Islamic State's (hereafter IS) design and use of Suicide Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices, or SVBIEDs, since the proclamation of the caliphate in 2014. The report, titled "Car Bombs as Weapons of War" and published by the Middle …
Through the desert & down the Euphrates – Islamic State SVBIED use & innovation
This is the second part of a series of articles covering the IS development and innovation of SVBIEDs from the battle of Mosul to the current situation. The first part covered the similarities between the battles of Mosul and Raqqah, while this part will cover the Islamic State's use of SVBIEDs …
From Mosul to Raqqah: SVBIED innovation & Inter-provincial military cooperation
This is the first part of a series of articles covering the IS development and innovation of SVBIEDs from the battle of Mosul to the current situation. The first part will cover the battle of Raqqah, while the second part will cover the battle of Deir ez-Zor and the concurrent loyalist and SDF …