KHAZIR FRONT, Southeast of Mosul - Bombs left behind by the Islamic State (ISIS) on the front lines and hidden in villages abandoned by the militants are the religious zealots’ most effective weapon, according to a Peshmerga general.
“ISIS is known for explosions like this,” Peshmerga General Salar Taymour told Rudaw English on the Khazir Front southeast of Mosul, the last stronghold of the militants in Iraq and the focus of an anticipated offensive to liberate the city.
The Mosul assault, which is highly anticipated to happen this month, will involve the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Army with its affiliated militias and the US-led Coalition.
“The strongest weapon they (the militants) have is the bombs left behind. The main fight for the Peshmerga against ISIS is avoiding the bombs left behind by them. Each time the Peshmerga take a village they see a lot of bombs,” Taymour said.
Last month, a Peshmerga explosives expert told Rudaw that Kurdish bomb disposal teams have defused more than 13,000 booby traps and landmines left behind by ISIS since the start of the war in August 2014.
He said that, in addition to improvised explosives and landmines, the Peshmerga have also defused 800 munitions, cleared 240 homes of bombs, and destroyed six tons of TNT. He added that, on average, Peshmerga bomb disposal teams defuse more than 17 bombs per day.
Many Peshmerga soldiers have been killed by bombs and mines planted by retreating ISIS forces to slow Kurdish advances.
“Most of the explosive devices left behind are placed on the front lines, on the battlefield,” Taymour explained. But he added that bombs and booby traps are “left behind all over. They put them everywhere, in doors and other places throughout the villages.”
ISIS-occupied villages liberated by the Peshmerga are not immediately habitable because of the massive presence of mines and bombs. Many homes are booby trapped by the retreating militants, posing a huge danger to villagers who want to return to their homes.
ISIS has also used chemical weapons against the Peshmerga at least on 19 occasions over the past two years, but Taymour claimed the damage from such weapons was relatively minimal. None of the attacks, usually involving mustard gas or chlorine, has led to Peshmerga deaths.
“Their chemical weapons are limited,” Taymour explained. “Sometimes in a missile, they will put chlorine that explodes upon impact. However, the damage from them is minimal.”
One of the problems facing the Peshmerga is the lack of equipment to protect against chemical attacks.
Earlier this month, Peshmerga officials wrote to UK defence secretary, Michael Fallon, urgently asking for equipment to protect against an ISIS attack, which they fear could happen in the prelude or during the Mosul offensive.
Karwan Jamal Tahiras, the Kurdish high representative in the UK who delivered the letter, warned that Kurdish forces have been forced to rely “on primitive protection from chemical attacks such as towels, water tanks and hats.”
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