The
scope of Islamic State's military capabilities have been laid bare in a
new report which reveals the vast range of weaponry used by the
militants in the four-month battle for Kobane.
Anti-tank
rockets, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, Western assault
rifles and crude IED 'daisy chains' have all been discovered in the
city's ruins after their defeat to Kurdish forces.
The
study shows how ISIS commandeered vast swathes of advanced weaponry
from Iraqi troops when it overran cities such as Mosul during the
conflict's early stages, but it is also fighting with ammunition
manufactured abroad as recently as four months ago.
Islamic State forces used mortar
rounds during the four-month battle with Kurdish forces, as seen in this
picture taken after they were defeated
Mortar launchers used by ISIS during the siege sit in ruins after the jihadis were forced from the city
The ISIS munitions and mortar rounds
often used homemade explosives filled with ball bearings, as seen in
this image taken by investigators
The four month battle of Kobane
(pictured) became a focal point of the conflict against ISIS when
Kurdish forces desperately staved off the ISIS attack
The
origin of the weapons is remarkable in its scope - investigators from
Conflict Armament Research found quantities of Chinese 5.56mm rifles and
ammunition, two Belgian rifles, as well as Russian, eastern European
and U.S. guns.
James
Bevan, executive director of Conflict Armament Research, told
MailOnline: 'They're not desperate for weapons and essentially it is
indicative of many rebellions, in that they've sustained their
operations, sometimes over long periods of time, through battlefield
capture of weapons or local supplies.
'They captured an awful lot of weapons from the Iraqi Army at the beginning.'
However, he said this would not remain the case indefinitely.
'They
have also been losing a lot of equipment in combat and they lost a lot
of armored vehicles so they must be reaching a point where their current
supplies and ammunition will run out.'
In
several instances, weapons were found to have travelled from Sudan,
while another source was the Syrian opposition groups who are in turn
supplied by governments.
Mr Bevan said investigators were surprised to discover the weapons had travelled so far after being manufactured only recently.
'Sudan
is a major supplier of weapons and ammunition to rebel forces in the
[Africa] region so we've got a pretty good handle on what they're
supplying.
'[But] we didn't realise the reach was so great that we'd find weapons manufactured in 2014 as far away as Syria.'
A set of 105mm improvised rockets sit neatly stacked against a wall after ISIS fled the city of Kobane
Pictured is a launcher system used to
fire the 105mm rockets. It once carried rockets filled with homemade
aluminium-based explosives
The
origin of two Belgian FN FAL rifles - produced in 1979 and 1980 - left
behind in the ruined city of Kobani remains a mystery. There is no
record of them in Iraqi national inventories.
A
vast array of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were also discovered,
including what are known as daisy chains - a string of IEDs linked
together to explode across a wide area.
Other
crude devices found by investigators were gas canisters filled with
homemade explosives, scrap metal and ball bearings which are then welded
to rockets, enabling them to be fired over long distances.
Although such IEDs are considered wildly innaccurate, their potential to main and kill is notorious.
In
an indication of the close links between ISIS and groups fighting
President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, it was noted Syrian opposition
groups have been using similar devices since 2013.
A Chinese CQ 5.56mm rifle found in
Kobane after the ISIS defeat. The serial numbers of the weapons were
filed off in an identical fashion to guns found in Sudan in 2013
It was not clear whether China, Sudan,
or an intermediary was responsible for supplying the Chinese weapons
(pictured) to parties to the Syria conflict
Pictured is one of the IEDs found in Kobane - a rocket welded to a gas canister filled with homemade explosives and metals
Mr
Bevan warned that weapons once were supplied to Turkey or Syria, the
suppliers had 'very little control over what groups those weapons are
supplied to,' and suggested this would be a bigger source of weaponry
for ISIS once stocks captured from the Iraqi government dwindled
further.
He
said: 'The weapons and ammunition are still coming into the region,
whether that's to support Kurdish forces or Syrian opposition forces.'
Three
U.S. manufactured armoured vehicles were also discovered that had been
destroyed by Kurdish forces during the battle and left abandoned. They
had been previously captured from Iraqi forces.
Anti
tank weapons used by the militants include European-manufactured MILAN
guided weapon systems, both of which the Syrian and Iraqi armed forces
have in stock, and Bulgarian and Russian rocket launchers.
Very few U.S. weapons were found - this was likely due to NATO arms requiring a different and scarcer type of ammunition.
'What
it seems is that IS commanders are quite often carrying these and
they're more a prestige weapon - symbolically, they symbolise a defeat
of an enemy.'
A destroyed U.S. armored vehicle that was used by ISIS and found by Kurdish troops after their victory in Kobane
The U.S. military vehicles were taken by ISIS when they over-ran Iraqi Army installations earlier in the conflict
Researchers documented two rocket nose
cones (pictured) from SAKR 122 surface-to-surface rockets. Used to fire
across long distances of land, they were produced by the Arab
Organization for Industrialization
Pictured is a battery from a Russian
produced MANPAD system, which launches surface-to-air missiles typically
used to down helicopters
This is the gas cylinder from a Russian anti-tank missile system which ISIS militants were using on Kurdish forces
A Bulgarian RPG-22 launcher (pictured), manufactured in 1992, was also found in the city
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