The Islamic State jihadist organisation’s specialty has become suicide vehicles; it uses them relentlessly in its combat against the Iraqi Army and Kurdish peshmerga forces. All too many videos capture the devastating effects of these attacks. As the IS group continues to use these suicide vehicles, the Iraqi army has had to change their strategy to deal with them.

The vehicles used in suicide bombings by the Islamic State group (IS) are the stuff of nightmares for Iraqi and Kurdish forces. These specially made armored vehicles are filled with several tons of explosives and then used to break up enemy lines. When they go off, they can destroy things within hundreds of metres.

This video, published by a Shiite militia, shows the explosion of a suicide car bomb.

The rigged vehicle in this video went off far away from its targets, but it is still powerful enough to hit Iraqi positions.

When contacted by FRANCE 24, an arms specialist who wanted to remain anonymous explained that this weapon is often referred to as a SVBIED, or suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.

Initially published on France24 on 05/02/2016
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