Peshmerga general wants more counter-IED contributions from coalition

by Zhelwan Z. Wali and Chris Johannes

 

As pockets of ISIS fighters are rounded up by Peshmerga and Iraqi forces' operations in Iraq, unexploded ordinance, mines, and booby traps remain a threat. Peshmerga Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Hussein Kakai tells Rudaw English that many areas under control of the Iraqi forces have been ignored.

Both the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces lack advanced tools to clear the areas, according to the general who was a member of the Iraqi Army until 2003. Kakai says his Supporting Forces Command 1 units cleared 20,000 sites during the ISIS conflict.

They have worked closely with the military and organizations from Britain. The US-led coalition has provided some equipment to the Peshmerga, but Kakai says they need more from Canadian, French, Italian, and German members.

Kakai alleges ISIS employed former Iraqi Army members and mechanical engineers to make improvised-explosive devices (IEDs) more deadly. Kakai boasts of a book he has written and given to the coalition documenting 80 types of IEDs used by ISIS.

Rudaw English: In July, the Peshmerga and Iraqi Army have conducted operations with the coalition in Kurdistani areas to clear ISIS fighters. What about clearing mines, unexploded ordinance, and booby traps?

Yes, there are myriads of ISIS bombs not uncovered yet. The Iraqi Security Forces focus more on the cities and populated areas and some main roads. Trust me, there are many villages and agricultural areas full of booby traps and have been ignored. [The Iraqis] do not go for them, and they do not have the resources to do it. It requires motivation and hard work. The Iraqi Army cannot easily clear them.

What about in Peshmerga-controlled areas?

Eighty percent of Peshmerga-controlled areas have been cleared of bombs.

During the ISIS conflict, how big of a problem were landmines, bombs and, IEDs?

Planted bombs caused us large damages because they were strange for us. Our Peshmerga did not have much information on landmines. Before and in 2005, al-Qaeda started using this method of warfare and until 2014 they did not get close to Kurdistan. After 2014, they started antagonizing Kurdistan when they attacked the villages and towns of Kurdistan.

In the beginning our tools to counter them were very simple and basic as our resources were limited. What remained helpful was the knowledge some of our colleagues had because they had worked with in Iraqi Army until 2003. In the first six months, we lost a lot of cadres. As you know our job is to be at the very forefront to clear the roads so the attacking forces can advance from behind us. This work cannot be done with simple methods.

So Kurdistan’s Peshmerga did not have these specialized tools. How could the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition advise and assist you?

We had a lot of communication with the coalition in the past, especially with a British bomb disposal engineering team. So, they were the beginning for communications and a broader coordination with us — the leading element for us to work with the coalition. The UK assisted us a lot. Then the Canadians came the second, the French came third, and recently the Italians and Germans.

During the three years of ISIS war, we did receive some sophisticated tools. They supplied to us with Badger anti-mine vehicles, hand-held bomb detectors, and other things. Still now we cannot say, with the skills we possess now, that we are capable of removing the remaining explosives. We are in need of much more advanced methods.

What about training, not just equipment?

Around 95 percent of all the forces operating under my command in the 80 Unit forces have undergone coalition training courses at Bnaslawa Training Center which are taught by coalition personnel and the British. In fact, we have benefited from them. They taught us a comprehensive system of working. 

Also we used the knowledge we gained in the battlefield practically. The exchange of information between us and the coalition was also of high importance. Whenever we came across something strange, we would contact the coalition and they would advise us of what to do. 

Why did ISIS possess such strong knowledge in deploying improvised-explosive devices (IEDs) and other techniques like remote-controlled aerial and vehicle-borne IEDs?

Because in the beginning in Iraq, they created bombs you could easily detonate from afar through remote control or mobile phones, internet and other communication tools. It was used for the first time in Iraq. We believe they took advantage of former Iraqi Army engineers. Secondly, they benefited from chemical engineers to make explosives, because they knew what types of chemical substances were needed.

They also took advantage of mechanical engineers. It is true that the substances they used were basic, but very effective since they used large amounts. For example, since the beginning of the fight against ISIS until today, we have defused more than 20,000 bombs. And each bomb contained kilograms of ammonium nitrate and each bomb had several detonation methods and cortex fuses. Doing this needs professional people. 

And how were you able to dispose so many?

They have tried every method. For example in the beginning, their booby traps were above ground and visible and easy to tackle. Then, they covered them so you cannot detect whether there is a bomb unless you see a change to the shape of the ground and it can only be detected by very professional people. So it is not easy for you to go and detect bombs. By the end [ISIS] used a material, similar to a wire, which could not even be detected by bomb detectors. 

We brought British and German teams and all others from the coalition. They all failed to make a bomb detector that could discover such a bomb... I dare say [ISIS] had many bomb manufacturing experts who had gained experience in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and many other places. If they took over a place, they would fully booby trap it in just two hours. They would put 100 booby traps. They had teams with them only doing this.

In light of the threats, did you have many casualties?

Thanks be to God, on our fronts from Shingal to west Kirkuk numbering 600 to 650 kilometers long, we did not have many sacrifices compared to the major threat and challenges we faced. Though we value the life of every single of our martyred. So the number of sacrifices was not dangerous… With the limited methods we had, we managed to prevail over them. But recently, our Peshmerga have gained a lot of experience in defusing bombs and they do their job fearlessly.

As this unit’s commander how would you make the decision whether to dismantle the IED or whether to detonate a structure which you believed contained explosives?

Yes, in the beginning, any bombs which were too complicated for us, we would deal with it there, but not all the time. Sometimes, the complicated bombs were close to places like a gas station or a shelter so doing that could cause another incident. Thus, we were forced to take many other measures to study and find a way to defuse them. All of our attempts were to defuse them, and then detonate them.

By defusing them, we would learn what substances they had used to manufacture the bomb, whether they were attached with pressure plate, or to electronic devices or mobile phones. This was so it would become easy for the next time in order to defuse another similar bomb. We worked on all the methods they tried and I wrote a book on the types of bombs they used. There are around 80 types of bombs, and I gave a copy to the coalition.

During the ISIS conflict and until the events of October 16, Peshmerga were deployed in the Kurdistani areas in Nineveh and Kirkuk. Can you describe the situation now of these towns, villages, and fields?

Ninety percent of the displaced people have now returned home in our areas. The Kakai villages are on the fringes of the Peshmerga and Iraqi Army. There are still dangers of bombs and booby traps in these areas. We now have coordination with a British organization. They are very helpful to us. They did a lot of good things. They have a well-organized team especially for the Kakai villages. According to estimates, they have defused 4,000 landmines and they continue to do this work on the Khazir front.