The Islamic State (ISIS) has started using cows as booby traps laden with explosives as weapons of war, according to reports. Two cows were strapped with explosives and were headed towards a military checkpoint in Diyala, a province in Iraq, when Iraqi soldiers opened fire and “blew them up”. The incident occurred on the first day of this month.
One civilian was injured in the failed terror attack, Kurdish website Rudaw reported. This is the first time the terrorist group is using cattle as weapons in their war. However, there have been previous occasions when they have used other animals in terror attacks. Fourteen people have been killed in six incidents of “donkey-borne IEDs” since 2010.
They had also used dogs strapped with bombs to attack security forces.
Local official Saqid Husseini said that ISIS “has lost the ability to recruit young people and would-be suicide bombers, instead they are using cattle.” The Diyala Province is home to Kurds, Sunnis and Shias and is intrinsic to the dispute between the Kurdish regional government and Iraq, with both claiming ownership.
ISIS has re-established its presence in the area amidst the dispute. According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War earlier this year, Isis holds a “durable support zone” in the south of the province, and has “increased its attack tempo against security forces, local tribal figures, and commercial sites.”
