ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – ISIS militants were making their own weapons in their Mosul stronghold on an industrial scale, according to a report by the London-based Conflict Armaments Research (CAR). The arms watchdog determined that ISIS had maintained a “robust and reliable” supply route from Turkey which enabled it to produce tens-of-thousands weapons. They arrived at this conclusion after their researchers studied the ISIS weapons found in the facilities and on the battlefield as the Iraqi ground offensive advances deeper into that city. “Given that this group is so organized, they clearly see the writing on the wall in Mosul,” James Bevan, the director of CAR, told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “They place a very high value on technical capacity and they will do everything they can to preserve it,” he added, estimating that the militants have likely moved their most professional bomb trainers from Mosul to Syria and southern Turkey. Equipment moved in bulk from Turkey enabled the militants to make these weapons, the report claimed. ISIS has been known to make their own weapons, they have tried several times to build effective chemical weapons capability and have also been notorious for their use of armored vehicle borne explosive devices (VBIEDs) against their various enemies.
