Giving new and unpleasant meaning to the phrase "necessity is the mother of invention," ammunition-strapped Islamic State militants have reportedly started using explosive chickens to terrorize their enemies.

That's right, explosive chickens.

According to Lebanese news website The Daily Star, ISIS militants in and around the Iraqi city of Fallujah were responsible for this latest innovation in modern warfare, in which home-made explosives are tied around the chickens and then set loose near enemy lines.

When the chickens wander close enough to their targets, the bombs are set off by remote control.

"ISIS will use whatever means they can to bring death and destruction. Using animals has little military value - it is just another example of how their twisted minds enjoy dreaming up bizarre ways to kill people," an unnamed British man fighting alongside Kurdish troops in the region told news website alBawabwa.

According to the Daily Star, the usage of this method shows the militant group is having supply issues, as its delivery lines are increasingly targeted by rival forces.

Images of the so-called suicide chickens have circulated on both pro and anti-ISIS social media pages and profiles, though their authenticity could not be verified.

According to alBawabwa, the report about the explosive chickens came only several days after a similar story emerged that ISIS militants strapped explosives to a goat and unleashed it near a Kurdish base in the city of Kobani in northern Syria.

Though it wasn't possible to verify the authenticity of the reports, animal-borne explosives have been used in the Middle East in the past. During the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip last summer, Hamas militants reportedly strapped explosives to a donkey and set it off near Israeli troops in the Rafah area. The soldiers noticed the suspicious donkey in advance and shot it, causing the bomb to explode. Though the donkey was killed in the explosion, no troops were hurt.

For a list of animal-borne explosive attacks, you're welcome to peruse the Wikipedia article dedicated to the subject.