Iraqi militia fighters claim they have rescued a puppy rigged up in a suicide vest by Islamic State.
In a video uploaded to the militia's Twitter account on Saturday, three fighters are shown holding a small dog strapped into an assortment of bottles and wires which they say is an explosive device. They are calling the unusual form of attack "the latest from Daesh [Islamic State]".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"What was this animal's crime? Even animals, IS booby traps them and send them out against us," the fighters said in the video.
Questions have been raised about the authenticity of the video, given that forces on all sides of the complex conflict are prone to advancing their cause through online propaganda, emphasising their enemies' misdeeds.
However, animals have previously been used as suicide bombers. In World War II, Soviet troops attached timed explosives to dogs that had been trained to run under German tanks, while Hamas and the Taliban have been accused of strapping bombs to donkeys to target their enemies.
The PMU troops say they plan to send the dog to Baghdad Zoo "for a nice break from the war zone".
As a broad coalition of anti-IS forces closes in on Mosul, IS has employed every possible tactic to hold onto its shrinking territory, including "decoy military equipment and camouflage-dressed mannequins, and lately, booby-trapped animals", Iraqi News reports.
PMU commander Mousa Hassan Jawsak recently told the media that two militia leaders have been killed by explosions in booby-trapped houses as the militia forces clear the former IS stronghold of Tal Awar, 40 miles west of Mosul, Al Masdar reports.
-
5 crime-ridden cartoons about National Guard deployment in DCCartoons Artists take on the crime of littering, the real criminals in DC, and more
-
Trump and Modi: the end of a beautiful friendship?In the Spotlight Harsh US tariffs designed to wrest concessions from Delhi have been condemned as 'a new form of imperialism'
-
The Strait of Messina: a bridge too far?Talking Point Giorgia Meloni's government wants to build the world's longest suspension bridge, fulfilling the ancient Roman vision of connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
