{"id":66774,"date":"2017-09-10T13:52:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-10T13:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/10\/us-backed-kurdish-fighters-get-lenco-bearcat-armored-vehicles\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:43:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:43:59","slug":"us-backed-kurdish-fighters-get-lenco-bearcat-armored-vehicles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/09\/10\/us-backed-kurdish-fighters-get-lenco-bearcat-armored-vehicles\/","title":{"rendered":"US-backed Kurdish fighters get Lenco BearCat armored vehicles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S.- backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, have received commercial, off-the-shelf Lenco BearCat armored vehicles as part of coalition aid, according to Col. Joseph Scrocca, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Footage of the vehicles being shipped on flatbed trucks barreling towards Raqqa was captured by the SMART News Agency \u2014 an Arabic language opposition media group in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aid to the Kurdish-led fighters has been controversial. Turkey, a NATO ally, views the group as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Worker\u2019s Party, or PKK \u2014 a group designated as a terrorist group by both Ankara and Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BearCats are popular with U.S. military law enforcement and SWAT teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLenco tactical response &amp; rescue vehicles are in over 90 of the top 100 U.S. cities and at federal law enforcement agencies,\u201d according to a press statement from Lenco Armored Vehicles\u2019 official website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company says the vehicle is good for urban terrain and has been able to withstand explosions, including from hand grenades and improvised explosive devices. The armor is rated to handle high-powered rifles and 7.62 mm ammunition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coalition aid to the Kurdish fighters is metered out on an as-needed basis, according to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, new armored vehicles have been appearing steadily in Raqqa as the campaign to liberate the de facto ISIS capital continues to progress. The SDF has now managed to push the militants out of Raqqa\u2019s Old City, a spokesman for the group said recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur forces today seized full control of the Old City in Raqqa after clashes with [ISIS],\u201d Talal Sello said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But fighting has been intense as the SDF advanced toward the city center. Previously, Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for OIR, said that nearly 80 percent of attacks against the SDF were from improvised explosive devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As new military hardware has appeared on the streets in Raqqa, Military Times has reached out to officials in Baghdad to confirm aid being delivered to the Kurdish fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a rundown of vehicles Military Times has confirmed as coalition aid to the SDF:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Land Cruisers and Hiluxes<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"946\" height=\"484\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Toyota.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Toyota.png.png 946w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Toyota.png.png?resize=300,153 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Toyota.png.png?resize=768,393 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 946px) 100vw, 946px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Toyota land cruisers being shipped to Syrian Democratic forces in Raqqa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toyota land cruisers and the Toyota Hilux are part of aid to the SDF, according to Scrocca. The trucks are sometimes modified to carry medium and heavy machine guns, commonly referred to as a \u201ctechnical.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>The Guardian<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"536\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Guardian.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Guardian.png.png 960w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Guardian.png.png?resize=300,168 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Guardian.png.png?resize=768,429 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Guardian Armored Personnel Carrier sits parked on the outskirts of Raqqa on March 8, 2017. The armored vehicles are manufactured by International Armored Group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Guardian armored vehicle is a souped-up Ford with armor plating and a machine gun turret. Much like the BearCat, this vehicle is a commercial, off-the-shelf tactical vehicle. This vehicle has been provided to the SDF and Syrian Arab Coalition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Humvees<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. up-armored Humvees are also part of coalition support to the Kurdish fighters. Pictures of the vehicles engaged in combat have been floating around Raqqa and on social media.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Armored tractors and bulldozers<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coalition previously confirmed to Military Times that the SDF are receiving armored tractors and bulldozers. These vehicles have been paramount in urban battles across Syria and were used heavily by Iraqi forces in Mosul. The tractors allow fighters to clear paths, remove IEDs, and aid in the construction of makeshift defenses for fighters. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SDF have other vehicles and do-it-yourself armored vehicles on the battlefield, including Russian T-55 and T-72 tanks and Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicles. These vehicles were captured on the battlefield from the Syrian army and eventually ended up in the hands of the SDF, they are not part of coalition aid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndiZentarmi\/status\/837015382942748675\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndiZentarmi\/status\/837015382942748675<\/a><\/blockquote><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S.- backed Kurdish fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF are receiving commercial off the shelf Lenco BearCat armored vehicles as part of coalition aid to the SDF, according to Col. Joseph Scrocca, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3351],"class_list":["post-66774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HX74PWAPAZHQRJAERIOXTCXYUE","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/09\/10\/us-backed-kurdish-fighters-get-lenco-bearcat-armored-vehicles\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US-backed Kurdish fighters get Lenco BearCat armored vehicles - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S.- backed Kurdish fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF are receiving commercial off the shelf Lenco BearCat armored vehicles as part of coalition aid to the SDF, according to Col. Joseph Scrocca, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US-backed Kurdish fighters get Lenco BearCat armored vehicles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S.- backed Kurdish fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF are receiving commercial off the shelf Lenco BearCat armored vehicles as part of coalition aid to the SDF, according to Col. 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