{"id":54899,"date":"2018-05-08T14:25:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T14:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/05\/08\/the-isis-tactics-that-have-left-iraqi-special-forces-weakened\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:59:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:59:33","slug":"the-isis-tactics-that-have-left-iraqi-special-forces-weakened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sofex\/2018\/05\/08\/the-isis-tactics-that-have-left-iraqi-special-forces-weakened\/","title":{"rendered":"The ISIS tactics that have left Iraqi special forces weakened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AMMAN, Jordan \u2015 It took Iraqi forces three years to significantly drive Islamic State militants out of the country, but the group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/video\/2018\/05\/07\/hybrid-warfare-in-the-middle-east\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">nontraditional tactics<\/a> have damaged Iraq\u2019s special forces, according to<span class=\"js-paste-start-NLFCPDJYAND6XBFZKZD23NHDFY\"> one major Iraqi military commander<span class=\"js-paste-end-NLFCPDJYAND6XBFZKZD23NHDFY\">. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In December, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS after Iraqi forces recaptured the areas along the border with Syria that were under the group\u2019s control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, ISIS used a number of nontraditional tactics that have \u201cweakened the country\u2019s special forces morale and dispersed their true roles,\u201d said Gen. Taleb Al Kanani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWere we able to fight the so-called Islamic State and end a war that has taken a toll on us? Definitely. But were we able to overcome the group\u2019s ideology? Not quite yet,\u201d the head of the Iraqi Joint Operations and Anti-terrorism Force said Monday during the 9th Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference held in Amman, Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne main challenge that we faced during our war with terrorists is the difficulty of confronting them in a traditional way because they were considered nontraditional enemies that used asymmetrical ways to try to defeat us,\u201d he added. \u201cSo how come more than a thousand Iraqi members weren\u2019t able to address the situation and overpower only 40 to 50 of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we have noticed in their war tactics, though, is that they tend to avoid direct confrontation. Instead, all their procedures are based on a psychological approach of terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/video\/2018\/05\/07\/cyber-defense-beefed-up-in-middle-east-2\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Cyber defense beefed up in Middle East<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, he said, one strategy used by ISIS in Mosul involved taking control of civilian homes and gathering residents in the lower, ground floor while ISIS members position themselves on the top floor or the roof, from where they would target security forces. Return fire would eventually cause the house to fall apart on its inhabitants, causing loss of life and damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-932260498.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-932260498.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-932260498.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-932260498.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-932260498.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Iraqi boy stands at the entrance of a destroyed building in the old city of Mosul on March 14, 2018, eight months after the Iraqi government forces retook the city from the control of the Islamic State group. (Ahmad al-Rubaye\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As another example, \u201cthey once exploded a bomb near a chlorine chemical element, which caused the Iraqi soldiers to inhale the yellow-colored smoke provoked by the bombing, thinking the rivals are using chemical weapons against them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of tunnels was also a common method used against national forces. Al Kanani noted that combating ISIS militants in tunnels mostly occurred in Fallujah and Mosul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe tunnels were mainly used to trap our special forces and mark a loss in their ranks,\u201d he indicated. \u201cWhen we liberated Al Mosul city back in July 2017, we noticed that ISIS worked on digging tunnels between streets and houses, which were used to move from one place to another without being seen and [which] secures the speed of escape to the new area of destination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Raymond Thomas, the head of U.S Special Operations Command, noted at the conference ISIS\u2019 use of using human shields in urban environments, \u201cwhich led us to join efforts in order to ensure there was no collateral damage as we try to clear these urban fields\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The heavy use of social media platforms also played a role in ISIS\u2019 overall strategy. The group fabricated fake messages and published fictional images as a means of information warfare, according to the Iraqi commander. He added that militants further confused Iraqi forces by disguising themselves as women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For his part, Col. Sufian Al Slaihat, commander of Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II Royal Special Forces Group, said one critical challenge remains: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/sofex\/2018\/05\/07\/us-and-middle-east-special-ops-forces-must-improve-cooperation-info-sharing\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">working with coalition forces in terms of exchange of information<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>To read more news on Middle East defense in Arabic, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/sdarabia.com\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">SDArabia.com<\/a>.<\/i><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Islamic State group has used a number of nontraditional tactics against the Iraqi military that have &#8220;weakened the country\u2019s special forces morale and dispersed their true roles,&#8221; a major Iraqi military commander says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":114591,"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":101,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,29,162,11,47,36,101],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3407],"class_list":["post-54899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-digital-show-daily","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters","category-sofex"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"PAOMEN6HYRAGXLPG6AZIGDQBCI","arc_canonical_url":"\/digital-show-dailies\/sofex\/2018\/05\/08\/the-isis-tactics-that-have-left-iraqi-special-forces-weakened\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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