ISIS drones pose another danger as Iraqi troops push for Western Mosul
MOSUL, Iraq -- The new weapon in the ISIS arsenal isn’t on the battlefield -- but above it.
New propaganda videos from ISIS appear to show armed drones dropping explosives on Iraqi troops with dead-center accuracy.
As the militant group loses ground in Iraq it has been using drones with increasing levels of sophistication.
Iraqi TV correspondent Abdul Hameen Zebari was wounded by an armed drone while travelling with Iraqi forces in Mosul.
“It was a loud blast,” he said.
“I fell down on my side. I knew what it was from because seconds earlier the soldiers started shouting drone, drone, drone.”
ISIS drones have also been used to deadly effect as surveillance, guiding car bombs through Mosul’s narrow streets, straight to Iraqi troop positions.
Federal police commander General Ali al Lami said his troops are constantly on the lookout.
“A car bomb can destroy a unit,” he said. “A truck bomb can destroy a brigade.”
The U.S. military told CBS News its troops have new weapons to counter ISIS drones; a gun that jams the radio waves between the drone and its controller.
Al Lami said that the Americans have not given his forces any. Asked if he would like to have them, al Lami replied, “We wish, of course.”
And they may need them. ISIS has been dug in for months in Western Mosul, and they’re not likely to leave without a major fight.