Thread by @CalibreObscura

[THREAD] So we got the likely final bayah from IS, this time in #Iraq. Let's take a look at their arms. This one is heavily into symbology, as well as showing off a few interesting arms.

The main speaker, ofc, carries a AKS-74U. Unusually though, it's carried at his waist.

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This is super uncommon to see, but he's also armed with a Glock 19 Gen3, presumed suicide belt, and full knockoff multicam 5.11 uniform. This is the absolute classic "IS in Iraq" look. Note the contrast with the "ordinary" militant behind.

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We get a look at another very notable part of IS in Iraq's arsenal- the suppressed Glock 19 Gen3, famous for it's role in countless killings (For example, the notorious Haditha 2012 night time attacks by AQ in Iraq, which heavily used the platform). A very obvious reference.

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Besides that, here's a FN FAL Para. This is a slightly unusal choice, but the FAL has been widely used by IS in the past & is also easily available for purchase in Iraq. Like many things in this video, the figure with huge flag and battle rifle seems a very deliberate choice.

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We also get a look at a very unusual weapon for Iraq- a sole, very worn RPG-26. This is not used in Iraq, so is extremely likely to be sourced from #Syria. Though I'd guess that this is retrieved from an IS cache, it may have been recently obtained.

A rather notable choice.

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And here's a look at two other IS cells (Don't make the mistake of assuming this is the total strength of IS in Iraq- they have many more men and weapons than this) Note the mix of AK derivatives, M16A2/4, PSL etc. This is entirely expected.

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Whilst this vid wasn't full of fighters, it was certainly very heavily a hark-back to previous times of 2012-13 (Or earlier), but including a clear Syria reference in terms of arms, a step above the normal RPG-7 and a demonstation of inventory.

Production value was also high.
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It seems that IS' media arm is certainly able to output polished videos, at least in Iraq, a factor I was certainly starting to doubt. I wonder what the future will hold, given their comparative media drought but escalation of action.

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cc @MENA_Conflict @oryxspioenkop