{"id":63031,"date":"2017-08-03T17:34:21","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T17:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/08\/03\/us-sends-armored-bulldozers-to-kurdish-militants-to-defeat-ieds\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:55:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:55:52","slug":"us-sends-armored-bulldozers-to-kurdish-militants-to-defeat-ieds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/08\/03\/us-sends-armored-bulldozers-to-kurdish-militants-to-defeat-ieds\/","title":{"rendered":"US sends armored bulldozers to Kurdish militants to defeat IEDs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. is supplying armored tractors and bulldozers to Kurdish militants to mitigate the IED threat as they fight to liberate Raqqa, Syria, ISIS\u2019 de facto capital, according to officials at Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. backed Kurdish fighters just completed the second month of their campaign to drive ISIS out of the beleaguered city. After early rapid advances, the intensity of the conflict has picked up as the Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Forces push closer to the city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Improvised explosive devices have been exceptionally pervasive in Raqqa. Approximately 80 percent of the attacks carried out by ISIS fighters holed up in the city have been by IED, according to Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s \u201cbeen tough fighting in tight quarters with a lot of these IEDs,\u201d Dillon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The armored bulldozers and tractors are expected to help counter that threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the battle for Mosul, armored dozers played a significant role in countering IEDs and assisting fighters as they moved block to block in dense urban fighting, according to the Washington Post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019ve also been a significant part of the Israeli government\u2019s strategy in urban conflict in places like Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Operation Cast Lead \u2014 the three-week incursion of Israel forces into the Gaza Strip back in December 2008 \u2014 Israeli forces relied heavily on an unmanned armored dozer called the D9 to clear mines, rubble, and to pave routes for forces, according to a report from the Jerusalem Post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bulldozers have also become a prime target for insurgents looking to halt advancing opposition forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, the IED threat in Raqqa is high and the coalition is providing other assistance to Kurdish fighters to counter the menace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dillon wouldn\u2019t provide details of what that other support is, but said,\u201d anything we can do to help identify where these IEDs, or these vehicle-borne IEDs, are [and] these factories where they are built, and striking them prior to the ability of ISIS to use them, we will do these things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs far as detection of these IEDs, there are capabilities we are using in Raqqa for that purpose,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"626\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/humvee-2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/humvee-2.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/humvee-2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,188 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/humvee-2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,481 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Humvee, up-armored by the Syrian Democratic Forces, advances against Islamic State militants in Raqqa, Syria. (Courtesy of @AfarinMamosta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kurdish fighters on the ground have also been adapting to the IED challenge by modifying U.S. Humvees provided to them by the coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kurdish fighters currently control roughly 45 percent of Raqqa, according to Dillon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. is supplying armored tractors and bulldozers to Kurdish militants to mitigate the IED threat as they fight to liberate Raqqa, Syria, the Islamic State&#8217;s de facto capital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37225,"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":[101,8,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3398],"class_list":["post-63031","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":"QJ5YYOMPDZATRPFENQ54GFASTY","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/08\/03\/us-sends-armored-bulldozers-to-kurdish-militants-to-defeat-ieds\/","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) - 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