ANALYSIS/OPINION:

As Iraqi and coalition forces move on Mosul, the Islamic State has become more creative and devious in the type of devices used to deliver explosives. American forces in the region are now reporting that ISIS is using commercial drones to drop grenades on precise targets.



As Iraqi security forces have moved into Mosul, they have been attacked by commercially purchased drones dropping small munitions “akin to a small, little grenade,” said Col. Brett Sylvia, who is also commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, reports The Military Times.



“It’s not as if it is a large, armed UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] that is dropping munitions from the wings – but literally, a very small quadcopter that drops a small munition in a somewhat imprecise manner,” Col. Sylvia said. “They are very short-range, targeting those front-line troops from the Iraqis.”



ISIS is also using drones for surveillance and as explosive decoys, reports Popular Science. Perhaps the most terrifying use of a drone is to fly overhead and guide a moving car bomb, packed with thousands of pounds of explosives, to a target.

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