Last year I was commissioned to write a case study on the Islamic State’s SVBIED developments during the battle of Mosul. It details how IS have adapted and evolved their SVBIED tactics/design in a response to the vast urban areas and the shifting Iraqi/Coalition counter-SVBIED tactics. Production, …
The History and Adaptability of the Islamic State Car Bomb
Historically speaking, car bomb usage has been reserved for use by terrorists in civilian areas. A nondescript civilian vehicle filled with explosives would detonate at a target, causing deaths and wreaking havoc. While that statement partly stands today, there's one place where car bomb usage has …
Media is half the battle – An overview of the Islamic State’s media apparatus
Note: I finished writing this article in early January, 2016 The rapid emergence of the Islamic State in Syria & Iraq has brought with it a greater focus on the organization’s brutality. Widely circulated videos displaying extremely graphic violence, like the beheadings of American and …