Islamic State Unleashes Its Drones On Iraqi Forces In Mosul

Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Drones Terrorize Iraqi Forces as Mosul Battle Rages

Militant group uses increasingly sophisticated drone technology to target troops, civilians

As they advance into Islamic State’s remaining urban stronghold of west Mosul, Iraqi forces are struggling to counter the terror caused by the militant group’s drones.

Iraqi forces have grown accustomed to enemy drones flying over the battlefield since Islamic State seized swaths of the country in 2014. They have used rifle fire and high-tech gadgets to counter them, and even have drones of their own.

But the militants have fine-tuned their drone technology. What were once improvised, remote-controlled aircraft resembling model planes are now commercially available quadcopters—drones with four helicopter-like blades—that have been retrofitted to carry grenades that can be dropped over targets.

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More News On The Islamic State's Use Of Drones In The Battle For Mosul

Use of 'weaponized' drones by Islamic State spurs terrorism fears -- Chicago Tribune/Washington Post
ISIS drones disrupt U.S.-backed Iraqis' fight for Mosul -- CBS
ISIS drones capture shocking new view of terror attacks -- NYPost
Death from above: IS drones strike terror into 'safe' areas of Mosul -- Middle East Eye
Iraqi troops battle booby-trapped drones as they enter western Mosul -- USA Today
Isis used bomber made with DJI drone and badminton supplies in Mosul airport encounter -- IBTimes

A Look At An Islamic State Drone 'Bomber'

Another pic of the weaponised IS drone that was flying over us outside Al-Buseif this morning and was brought down by #Iraq forces pic.twitter.com/n5mW6DpJJn

— Sara Hussein (@sarahussein) February 23, 2017

Ars Technica: ISIS builds quadcopter “bomber” with DJI drone and badminton supplies

Downed drone outside Mosul shows off-the-shelf tech creatively used to kill.

On the morning of February 23, Iraqi forces moved through Al-Buseif, Iraq as they began their assault against the Islamic State (IS) held Mosul Airport. All the while, a quadcopter drone buzzed overhead. Sara Hussein, a reporter with Agence France-Presse covering the assault on Mosul, reported via Twitter that the Iraqi Army had brought down the weaponized drone, and her driver managed to take pictures of it after it was grounded.

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WNU Editor: The big fear is that what is being learned in Mosul will be used elsewhere .... The Next Phase Of Terrorism Will Involve Drones (February 12, 2017). The below video shows how effective this "drone bomber" is:

The Next Phase Of Terrorism Will Involve Drones

Scott Stewart, Fabius Maximus: Stratfor looks at the next phase of terrorism: ISIS drones

Summary: Stratfor looks at the videos of ISIS using drones and discusses their potential applications of this new weapon. Will we see ISIS drones in the skies of America?

The Islamic State is taking to the skies as the fight for Mosul wears on. Over the past several weeks, the extremist group has been flaunting its use of unmanned aerial vehicles against Iraqi army and Kurdish forces in and around the city. Propaganda videos feature dramatic aerial footage of the precision attacks, and they have produced their intended effect, receiving heavy coverage in mainstream media outlets. So far, the Islamic State has deployed this technique only in Iraq and Syria. That’s likely soon to change, though, considering the attention the group’s drone attacks have been getting and the prevalence of drones in the West. Drone attacks are coming. But they do not necessarily portend death from above.

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WNU Editor: Many have been warning about drone terror attacks for years .... including this blog. But when I look at the above video (a hi-def compilation of ISIS drone bomb attacks) .... I will admit that I was surprised on how proficient they have become. I am also surprised that such a terror attack has not yet to happen in Europe or in North America.

Pentagon is Focusing On Terror Groups Who Are Weaponizing Consumer Drones

Picture of a drone. Photo: DPA.

Bloomberg: The Pentagon Takes Aim at Bomb-Carrying Consumer Drones

Terrorist groups are turning a popular hobby item into a deadly strategic challenge.

They’re cheap, they’re light, and they can carry a small bomb: The commercial drone is essentially a new terror gadget for organizations such as Hezbollah, Islamic State, or anyone else looking to wreak havoc on a budget.

“That’s the same quad copter you can get on Groupon or go down to Sam’s Club and buy for $400,” U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller said last week at a Washington forum on future warfare. The elusive nature of small drones is one reason the federal government has designated the District of Columbia a “national defense airspace” and prohibited drone flights there. A recent spate of drone-related incidents, including one last year in which a drone crashed on the White House lawn, probably didn’t help, either.

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WNU Editor: The genie is already out of the bottle.

Growing Fears That Drones Can Be Used As Terror Weapons

A MQ-1 Predator drone Photo: REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Lt Col Leslie Pratt

Drones 'Could Be Used As Flying Bombs For Terror Attack On Passenger Jet' -- The Telegraph

Terrorists could "with impunity" fly multiple drones to take out passenger aircraft, a leading expert warns, following report into 'near-miss' at Heathrow Airport

Drones could be used as flying bombs by terrorists to take down a passenger aircraft, according to a leading expert, who called for improved security measures to deal with the “gaping hole” in the national defences.

Prof David H Dunn, of the University of Birmingham, said that jihadis could “with impunity” fly multiple remote-controlled unmanned aircraft into the engines of a jumbo jet, causing it crash.

Prof Dunn was speaking after it emerged that a drone flew within 20ft of an Airbus A320 as it landed at Heathrow Airport in July.

An official report into the near-miss, or ‘airprox’, found that the mobile helicopter narrowly avoided colliding with the passenger jet, 700ft above the runway, on July 22 of this year.

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My Comment: Who needs an anti-aircraft missile when such a drone can be just as effective .... and be cheaper to get.