As I've frequently said in the past it's generally a very bad idea to pick up UXO (unexploded ordnance) unless you are trained to do so, but as anyone who follows Syria knows this is advice that's rarely followed. This following video shows a collection of UXO, some of which has been converted into IEDs (improved explosive devices)
Colonel Abu Hasan of Sawt Al-Haq Battalion, Jund Allah Brigade provides us with a guided tour of the items on show
First we have an OFAB 100-120, which Colonel Hasan incorrectly describes as "a vacuum bomb that can destroy an area of 500 meters". An OFAB 100-120 is a high explosive fragmentation bomb, and first appeared in Syria when jets first started bombing Aleppo in late July 2012.
Next what I believe is the front end of a parachute retarded bomb, which Colonel Hasan describes as a "guided rocket that is fired by a fighter plane".
Next we have a collection of unexploded PTAB 2.5m cluster bomb submunitions, correctly identified by Colonel Hasan.
Next Colonel Hasan shows us what he calls "katyusha rockets", which are in fact S-8KO rockets, normally launcher from aircraft. You can see the designation written on the rocket in the above picture.
From left to right we have the tail of a 122mm rocket, an artillery round, the tip of an artillery or tank round, and a mortar tail fin.
Here we have what Colonel Hasan correctly identifies as 122mm Sakr cluster rockets, with a box full of submunitions to the right. As he notes later in the video the colourful ribbons of the submunitions are very appealing to any child who might come across them. It's also interesting to note other versions of these submunitions that have been seen in Syria so far have come with white ribbons. The ribbons are attached to the arming pin, so pulling a ribbon can result in a live munition arming, and detonating.
Next we have some IEDs they've put together using UXO.
These cluster bomb submunitions have had an fuze added to them, turning them into pipebombs.
Here the OFAB 100-120 shown earlier has had it's fuze replaced with an electrical detonator, which allows them to set it off remotely.
These are 4 cluster bomb tails that have been filled with explosives and turned into IEDs.
Here's two videos posted in the last month that may indicate a shift in tactics by the Syrian military in their fight against the Syrian opposition
These videos, filmed in the Deir Ez Zor and Aleppo regions, supposedly show IEDs that have allegedly planted by the Syrian army, not the Syrian opposition, and appear not to be the DIY barrel bombs (which I'll now refer to as ADIEDs, Air Delivered Improvised Explosive Devices) used by the Syrian Air Force.
The men in both videos claim the IEDs were planted by the Syrian Army, and if that's correct it might indicate a shift in tactics by the Syrian Army that mimics the style of fighting used by the Syrian opposition. From the design of the IEDs in the second video it appears they are designed to attack unarmoured vehicles with a directed blast of shrapnel, which would make them ideal for attacking the unarmoured trucks used widely by the Syrian opposition across the country.
Whether or not this reflects a major shift in tactics remains to be seen, but it's certainly something I'll be keeping a close eye on.
Thanks to @troublejee for pointing out this post on Jihadist forum showing a rather interesting detail from a recent truck bomb attack executed by Jabhat al-Nusra. The post details an attack that took place using what they claim was a 3.5 tonne truck bomb, claiming to have killed 200 men and injuring many more. It's impossible to verify these claims, but I believe it relates to this report from Hama where 50 government soldiers were reportedly killed.
What caught my eye was this following image
This shows the payload of the bomb, fairly typical lengths of metal tubes filled with explosives, as seen in other examples of truck bombs, but what I find very interesting is what's between some of them.
The 4th and 6th items from the left aren't barrels of explosives, but appear to be unexploded FAB 500 M62 high explosive bombs, a pair of which can be seen in this video
As Bjørn H Jespersen notes on his blog post examining UXO evidence of FAB 500 M62s these are one of the most powerful bombs used in the conflict, carrying 200kg of high explosives, so those two bombs on the truck contain at least 400kg of high explosives, so it's no wonder that along with the explosives in the barrels they produce an massive explosion like this
Update January 7th The following video shows footage from the above attack, including the martyr video of the driver, and footage of the vehicle driving into the compound shortly before detonating. The video also allows us to confirm the location
Update July 12th The commentator Trazzer has made a very strong argument for the items shown below being standard shaped charged rather than EFPs in the comments below this article, worth checking them out.
Stratfor recently reported on claims by the Hawks Brigade of the Levant that they are now using a type of IED known as an explosively formed penetrator (EFP). EFPs have a long history of use in a number of conflicts, and most recently have been used in Iraq to attack coaltion armoured vehicles.
An EFP consists of a copper tube filled with explosives, with a concave copper liner over the end of the pipe, faced towards the target. The copper tube prevents fragmentation during the explosion, and the concave copper liner focuses the blast in such a way to penetrate the armour of the target. The below picture shows an example from Iraq:
The below diagram and animation shows how the copper liner turns into a projectile that can penetrate armour:
The following video from Deir ez-Zor in the east of Syria, near Iraq, shows EFPs now being used to construct IEDs, and is the first video evidence confirming their use in Syria:
It does seem likely that the FSA have acquired the skills to build these IEDs from insurgents in Iraq, and it confirms that Assad’s armoured vehicles are at least as vulnerable to IEDs in their outdated Russian armoured vehicles as US forces are in their more sophisticated armoured vehicles in Iraq.Update July 4th This video has been posted which shows how bombs can be created from artillery shellsAt 2:50 he takes out what appears to be an IED with a inverted cone liner. @alhazrid informs me the man in the video describes the IED as directed, and it has a cone, but doesn't mention what it's made from.Another interesting point for fans of irony, both the US and UK accused the Iranian government of providing Iraqi insurgents with the information and equipment required to build shaped charges as described above, so if true it would be rather ironic if that information has gone from Iraq to Syria so the FSA can fight Iran's close ally.
One thing that seems apparent to anyone following the Syrian conflict over the past few weeks is how it appears the FSA are being increasingly well equipped. It seems the FSA have started to go beyond the machine guns, AK-47s, and RPGs that make up the majority of their equipment and have begun to acquire greater quantities of weapons, and a greater variety. Despite reports of Qatar and Saudi Arabia supplying weapons to the FSA, and high level talks in Washington, it does appear that they've been doing quite well with getting their hands on weapons without their help.
To begin with, let's look at the more standard equipment many of the FSA are equipped with, where it that coming from? The Global Post reported in two excellent articles, "You will never guess who arms the rebels" and "Syria’s rebels learn the value of a prisoner", the FSA members they interviewed have gain the majority of arms from the purchasing them from corrupt members of the Syrian army, funding those purchases by ransoming captured soldiers:
Fatahallah estimated that his village purchased 40 percent of their weapons from the regime. Prisoner exchanges have so far contributed almost $80,000 toward weapons purchases, he said. And they obtain an additional 50 percent of their weapons during battle. The remaining 10 percent are donated and smuggled from outside the country, or are purchased from private merchants, mostly from Iraq.
In other areas it seems the black market plays a big role. Javier Espinosa recently Tweeted this during his time in Idlib
local commander told me that they have bought more than 1,500 new shells for RPGs in Idlib,very effective because tanks are very old #Syria
Some videos show weapons and ammo that have apparently been captured from Assad's forces, this video from Latamiyah, Hama, shows a cargo of RPG launchers and ammo captured by FSA fighters
This video from al-Atarab, Aleppo, shows arms captured from a police station
And here we see a wide selection of ammo, weapons, and armour captured from a checkpoint in Deir Ezzor
It also appears that more recently the FSA have been capturing heavier weapons. These two videos show the Ansar Battalion using large 120mm mortars
Update June 18th I've also been sent another video of a B-10 in action west of Baba Amr
Update June 21st This video from Jisr ash-Shugur, Idlib shows a PG-7VR warhead loaded into the RPG launcher on the right hand side of the video, capable of penetrating the armour on most, if not all, of Assad's armoured vehicles
This video shows more captured equipment, most notably a captured anti-aircraft gun, which were often mounted to trucks in the Libyan Civil War
Update June 21st This video from Deir ez-Zor shows a group in possession of a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun to the left, and a truck mounted heavy machine gun to the right
Now while it's arguable whether or not the above weapons could have been in fact smuggled into the country by Saudi Arabia/Qatar/America etc, the next videos show items that are somewhat harder to smuggle across borders.
In this video we see FSA fighters from Latakia capturing a BMP
This video from a Damascus FSA battalion apparently shows one destroyed armoured vehicles, along with a Shilka and BMP which were apparently captured
Now it's one thing to say a tank has been captured, but another to see it being driven off, something these two videos show. First from Homs
And this video of a captured BMP driving around the Hama countryside
Update June 18th This news report also shows more captured vehicles, including at least one fully operational tank
What's interesting to me about these videos is the FSA feel confident enough to drive these vehicles out in the open when there's helicopters more than capable enough of destroying these vehicles. Maybe that has something to do with captured AA guns and the recent AA missile base defection which supposedly gave the FSA access to a large number of SA-7 shoulder launched missiles. It should be noted that despite claims the SA-7s were looted from the base I've yet to see them in any videos, or any helicopters shot down by them.
In both Rastan and Talbiseh, destroyed Syrian tanks and armored personnel carriers remained on the streets – including one near Talbiseh that remained in the median of the highway.
“We captured two armored personnel carriers and used them before the government destroyed them with helicopters,” Najjar said, adding that the cannons and heavy machine guns salvaged from some of the destroyed APCs would be mounted on rebel pickup trucks.
Tlass, who is based in Rastan, said the group had seized tanks from the Syrian military, and on Saturday, Farouq fighters in Qusayr sent footage to the Al Jazeera television network that showed them in possession of a tank and captured anti-aircraft weaponry. Najjar said that Farouq’s fighters in Talbiseh had managed to capture large amounts of ammunition in the offensive there, and were in possession of anti-tank rockets bought from weapons smugglers and captured from the military.
For those FSA members not lucky enough to have access to 1500 RPG rounds and BMPs improvisation is the name of the game. As I've previously posted, IEDs have played a large part in certain areas, especially Idlib, and as this video shows they are getting bigger as time goes on
There's also been recent reports in the press of remote controlled trucks and cars being used, which may in part explain the sudden upsurge in supposed "suicide bombings". This video from April shows a car equipped with remote controls
A video of remote controlled bombs in action was available on Youtube, but has since been removed.
Other vehicle modifications have also been made to assist the FSA, including a number of armoured cars. This video apparently leaked from Assad's forces show a truck that has been converted into an armoured car, including firing ports, and armoured wheels
In this video we see an armoured car being put together in Homs
And this picture shows a finished creation
Of course, they still have a while to go until they beat the "Libyan Killdozer"
This video from Al Jazerea Arabic shows a few interesting vehicles, one which appears to have metal shielding mounted in front of a heavy machine gun, and another which has a heavy machine gun mounted on the back of a truck, as well as another appearance of an AA gun
On the stranger end of the scale there's been a number of items posted, such as this DShK heavy machine gun, possibly salvaged from a T-55 or T-62, mounted on a trolley
Or this partly built remote control car bomb used to attack checkpoints
There's also this rather unsafe looking homemade rocket, which seems to have a specially shaped head
Update June 21st The above video might relate to these following four videos which appear to be some sort of unguided long range rocket artillery
Update June 21st This video shows fuse lit homemade explosive filled bottles being launched at Assad's army using a oversized slingshot
And finally, not everyone who makes stuff from scratch for the FSA is building weapons, like this tailor from the Khalidiya neighbour of Homs making uniforms for the FSA
Back in February TIME magazine visited a bomb makers workshop in Syria, highlighting what would appear to be the beginnings of a shift in tactics by FSA groups around Idlib to guerrilla warfare rather than direct confrontation with Assad's forces. A more recent LA Times article also visited a bomb makers near Idlib:
The rebels have been using homemade bombs for months, but they have begun to depend on them even more in the last month as the government has turned its attention to regaining control here in Idlib, a rebellious northwestern province bordering Turkey, after months of gradual progress on the part of the rebels.
I've noted on Youtube there's been a big increase in the number of IED videos being posted from Idlib in the past month, here's a selection of videos I've found showing IEDs being used to attack Assad's forces:
Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib 09/03/12
As is common in many of the videos from Idlib a BMP is being targeted by the IED.
Jericho, Idlib 11/03/12
It's hard to make out if this is a BMP or tank because of the grain of the video.
Jericho, Idlib 11/03/12
This video clearly shows a tank passing first before the BMP is hit by the IED, something that's shown repeatedly in these IED videos.
Idlib 14/03/12
This video shows what I believe to be a T72 tank being hit by an IED, but with it's underside armour it's questionable how effective this would have been.
Idlib 15/03/12
Again, this video shows a BMP being targeted, a much easier target to disable or destroy without shaped charges.
Idlib 15/03/12
Another video where a tank is allowed to pass before the BMP is hit with the IED, strongly suggesting this is a tactic repeatedly used in Idlib by the FSA.
More recently two videos from Hama have emerged showing the use of IED against even softer targets. In this first video from 22/03/12 a small IED is used to attack a foot patrol (graphic)
And in this video from 28/03/12 an IED is used to attack what's claimed to be a white security van
It'll be interesting to see more videos coming from Hama to see if it has the same pattern of attacks against softer targets. Idlib certaintly seems focused on attacking BMPs, and it could just be that there's less BMPs to attack near Hama, or they prefer hitting much lighter targets.
Finally, one video appeared in the last couple of days from Dael, Daera, dated 29/03/12 showing a BMP being attacked
I'll certaintly be keeping an eye out for more IED attack videos as they certaintly indicate a shift in tactics by the various FSA affiliated groups, and the more recent videos from outside Idlib seems to indicate it's something that's spreading across the country.
If any of you have videos of IEDs being used at any point in the conflict please post them in the comments below, it would be especially interesting if they were from much earlier in the conflict, or areas where there's no evidence of IEDs being used as of yet. I'm also relying on Google Translate for informaiton on the videos, so if I've put anything inaccurate or you have more information on the videos let me know and I'll update the post accordingly.
