Ambushes, Mines And Booby Traps: ISIS Militants Change Tack
At a front-line outpost — a few sandbags, soldiers and grenades perched on the brow of a hill — the Iraqi Kurdish soldiers known as Peshmerga are looking out toward the eastern Iraqi town of Jalula, maybe three miles away.
A few months ago, the so-called Islamic State seized Jalula. The Peshmerga took it back, but now the militants have retaken it. The soldiers catch sight of three vehicles belonging to the Islamic State rolling toward the outpost.
They rattle off machine gun fire at the Humvees heading their way and the vehicles change direction. But that's not always been a good sign. The jihadists keep slipping through Peshmerga defenses, to stage ambushes and lay roadside bombs.
More than four months after the Islamic State burst into towns and cities across Iraq, taking over checkpoints, bases and government buildings, they've changed tack. Rival military commanders say the group, also known as ISIS, now is using ambushes, booby traps and mines.
Peshmerga discuss how to respond to the approach of ISIS fighters from an outpost near the front lines.
The Peshmerga say that's preventing the Kurdish forces from holding turf, and is causing heavy casualties.
Back at base in the nearby town of Khanaqin, Gen. Mahmoud Sangawy says his biggest problems are roadside bombs, mines and the traps the jihadists leave when they withdraw from their territory.
"They make booby-trap houses — if you open the kitchen door, it will explode," he says. "Or they leave the gas cylinder open to explode when you enter."
The Peshmerga are not trained for this, but teams of British soldiers and security contractors are giving them lessons in how to deal with these new threats. At a recent session, consultant Chris de Gruchy talked about IEDs — improvised explosive devices.
"You're starting to see complex attacks where an IED may trigger an ambush for a small-arms attack, there may be complex attacks with further IEDs employed ... to target followup troop," he says. "It's a very valuable weapon in the insurgent arsenal to provide them a capability where they might be outmatched and outgunned in other areas."
In exercises, one Peshmerga practices using devices to detect explosives, while another lumbers over to a suspect vehicle in a bombproof suit that weighs 70 pounds. His name is Umeid Kharaman, and he's been a military engineer for three years, but this is the first time he's had any proper training. And he's lost a lot of friends to car bombs.
Gen. Mahmoud Sangawi (right) says his biggest problems are roadside bombs, mines and the traps the jihadists leave when they withdraw from their territory.
His commander, Gen. Zana Abdulrahman counters that the Peshmerga are trained — but for regular combat in their own region.
"Our officers got their experience on the mountain," he says. Gradually, he says, they're improving their skills.
For some though, that's coming too late.
A medical director for the Peshmerga, Dr. Mohsen Rashid, leads the way through a hospital in the city of Erbil to Rebwa Hassan, who is lying with bolts in his leg and winces when he tries to sit up
"Brave Peshmerga," says Rashid. "Injured by a bomb, big one, with a fractured femur, lost piece of bone."
He holds up an X-ray of the man's leg; it looks like his bones exploded. Hassan tells me two people were killed in the attack that shattered his leg.
The militants put bombs under everything, he says — under weapons they leave lying around, in houses.
The doctor's own family hasn't been spared. Rashid tells me his nephew, a young officer, was killed by a mine last month
"We are proud of him, really, although we miss him too much," he says, his voice catching. "Every time I remember him."
Rashid won't give specific numbers, but he says that so far hundreds of Peshmerga have been killed and injured in this way. He says it's an emergency.
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Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
We begin this hour in Iraq where the so-called Islamic State is changing its tactics on the battlefield. The group is now relying more on roadside bombs and ambushes. After swaths of Iraq fell to the militants earlier this year, Kurdish forces, or Peshmerga, were able to push back. American airstrikes also helped them fend off the group. But NPR's Alice Fordham tells us with the Islamic State's new tactics, the Peshmerga are struggling to hold onto their gains.
ALICE FORDHAM, BYLINE: This is a frontline Peshmerga outpost - a few sandbags, soldiers and grenades perched on the brow of a hill are looking out towards the town of Jalula, maybe three miles away. A few months ago, the Islamic State seized it, then Peshmerga took it back. But now the Islamic State has it again. They catch sight of three vehicles belonging to the Islamic State rolling toward the outpost.
(GUNSHOTS)
FORDHAM: The Peshmerga fire at the Humvees heading our way, and the vehicles change direction. But that's not always a good sign. The jihadists keep slipping through Peshmerga defenses to stage ambushes and lay roadside bombs. More than four months after the Islamic State burst into towns and cities across Iraq, taking over checkpoints, bases and government buildings, they've changed tack. Now, military commanders say they're using ambushes, booby traps, mines. That's stopping the Peshmerga holding turf and causing heavy casualties. Back at base in the nearby town of Khanaqin, I meet General Mahmoud Sangawy just as his men are serving lunch.
MAHMOUD SANGAWY: (Through translator) I would say that our biggest problem is the roadside bombs and mines, which prevent us from holding the cities.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This one of the roadside bombs that they make. It's just from the rusty...
FORDHAM: His men bring out a roadside bomb they diffused. It's just made from a thick piece of metal pipe. General Sangawy says such devices are cobbled together from pipes, barrels, jerrycans. And booby traps are a big part of the reason they couldn't hold Jalula.
SANGAWY: (Through translator) They booby trap houses. If you open the kitchen door, it will explode, or they leave the gas cylinder open to explode when you enter.
FORDHAM: And the Peshmerga are not trained for this. Several hours drive north, a team of British soldiers and security contractors are giving lessons in how to deal with this new threat. Consultant Chris de Gruchy talks about IEDs - improvised explosive devices.
CHRIS DE GRUCHY: You're starting to see complex attacks where an IED may trigger an ambush for a small-arms attack. There may be complex attacks with further IEDs employed to conduct, or to target, follow-up troop. It's a very valuable weapon in the insurgent arsenal to be able to provide them a capability where they might be outmatched and outgunned in other areas.
FORDHAM: One Peshmerga practices using devices to detect explosives while another lumbers over to a suspect vehicle in a bombproof suit that weigh 70 pounds. His name's Umeid Kharaman. I speak to him after his exercise.
UMEID KHARAMAN: (Foreign language spoken).
FORDHAM: He says he's been a military engineer for three years, but this is the first time he's had any proper training. And he's lost a lot of friends to car bombs. His commander, General Zana Abdulrahman, counters that the Peshmerga are trained but for regular combat in their own mountainous region.
ZANA ABDULRAHMAN: (Foreign language spoken).
FORDHAM: He says they were inexperienced when they began fighting the Islamic State. But gradually, they're improving their skills. For some, though, that's coming too late. The medical director for the Peshmerga, Dr. Mohsen Rashid, takes me to a hospital in the city of Erbil. We meet soldiers like Rebwa Hassan, lying with bolts in his leg and wincing when he tries to sit up.
MOSHEN RASHID: A brave Peshmerga. He have injured by a bomb - big one with a fractured femur. Lost piece of bone, very big piece of shell, still having two shell in the femur.
REBWA HASSAN: (Foreign language spoken).
FORDHAM: Hassan tells me two people were killed in the attack that shattered his leg.
HASSAN: (Foreign language spoken).
FORDHAM: And the militants put bombs under everything, he says, under weapons they leave lying around, in houses. Dr. Rashid's own family wasn't spared. He tells me his nephew, a young officer, was killed by a mine last month.
RASHID: And we are proud to him, really. Although we miss him too much. Every time I remember him.
FORDHAM: Dr. Rashid won't give specific numbers, but he says so far hundreds of Peshmerga have been killed and injured in this way. He says it's an emergency. Alice Fordham, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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