The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released photos purporting to show its fighters using a United Nations armored personnel carrier as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). The photos were released today on the official Twitter account for Al Nusrah’s southern Syria operations.
The photos show Al Nusrah fighters operating the South African-made Mamba armored personnel carrier, as well as the vehicle being driven to its destination by a fighter named Abu Khattab al Muhajir (“the Emigrant”). The last photo shows a massive explosion as the vehicle detonates on regime positions in the city of Sheikh Miskeen in Daraa province.
In late August, the Al Nusrah Front, along with fighters from Ahrar al Sham and the Western-backed Syrian Revolutionaries Front, took over the Quneitra border crossing with the Israeli-held Golan Heights. During the offensive, 43 Fijian UN peacekeepers were captured by Al Nusrah. The peacekeepers were eventually released, but it is likely that Al Nusrah took UN vehicles when the peacekeepers were taken captive.
The other two photos can be seen below:
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3 Comments
Surely the Syrian Army knew that this UN armoured personal carrier was driven by islamic terrorists, when the UN have basically withdrawn from the border regions after their soldiers were kidnapped and released by Al Nusrah
In a front line position such as this, where any vehicle not immediately identified would be fired on, how would this possibly happen without some kind of collusion on the part of the immediate front line personnel.
No doubt the UN will write a strongly worded letter to the ISIL