Reports are emerging from war-torn Syrian cities of a new threat: exploding drones.
The Middle East Media Research Institute reports that several Syrian opposition websites have claimed to have evidence that “booby-trapped ‘suicide’ drones” were used against opposition forces, apparently by either Russian forces or Shiite militias.
“The opposition website Syria Mubashir reported on October 19, 2015, that six small remote-controlled drones had exploded that day next to Ahrar Al-Sham targets in the village of Ma’ar Shimmareen, near the city of Ma’arat Al-Nu’man in Rif Idlib, killing and wounding several fighters and causing extensive damage to gear,” MEMRI reported.
“The website also noted that there are conflicting reports regarding the source of the attacks, with some claiming that the drones were dispatched from the Hamimim airbase near Lattakia, where Russian troops are currently stationed, and others claiming that they were dispatched from portable launchers in the area where Shi’ite militias are located.”
Syrian Smart News posted a video in which Ahrar Al-Sham field commander Abu Amir said the “drones landed and then exploded, breaking up into many pieces.”
“According to the website of the Orient News television station, which is associated with the opposition, the drones were dispatched by ‘Iran’s sectarian [i.e., Shi’ite] militias,’” MEMRI reported.
The report said militias in several regions, including Rif Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, were “equipped with Iranian-manufactured drones.”
“It should be noted that, in late 2014, in the course of a military exercise it conducted, Iran presented ‘suicide’ drones intended to explode against their targets,” MEMRI reported. “At the time, the Iranian website Mashregh News, which is affiliated with security circles, presented 10 models of drones and said that some of them were suitable for suicide missions while others could be modified for such operations.”
At the time, Ahmad-Reza Purdastan said the exercise “saw our first use of a suicide drone that can be used to attack aerial and ground targets.”
“This is a mobile bomb. In accordance with the existing capabilities of the [Iranian] industry, we have improved the range and operational capabilities of our drones. They currently carry better equipment and are furnished with more sophisticated cameras. These drones are the ground forces’ long arm on the battlefield.”
from PropagandaGuard https://propagandaguard.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/exploding-drones-reported-in-syrian-civil-war/
from WordPress https://toddmsiebert.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/exploding-drones-reported-in-syrian-civil-war/
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