The film, published last weekend, opens with high-definition images taken from above, on the largest oil refinery in the country, in central Iraq. The drone used does not belong to the Coalition, but to the Islamic State and the filmed area should be firmly in the hands of government forces, after bitter fighting in recent months.
Despite the ongoing attacks, the Baiji refinery remained in the hands of the government, but 47 air raids were needed allies and a massive flow of supplies. The troops of the Caliphate, in the end, were rejected.
Beyond the outcome of the battle for the refinery, the video shows that the Islamic State maintains a surprising level of military ability, despite the continuous air raids carried out by the United States and its allies.
Daesh, Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, has a first level logistics structure. In the video you can see key details such as constant supplies, food and water in the first place, as well as some techniques used in battle.
According to the Special Operations Command, the troops of the Caliphate, despite the efforts made to date, are better trained and more motivated than their counterpart supported by the Coalition. What is most worrying is that the logistic apparatus of ISIS, far exceeds that of government troops.
In the fifteen minutes of the video, there are all the characteristic traits of the fundamentalists. Scenes, by now, become familiar as well as the assembly of propaganda. Do not miss the training of troops in the martial arts, a look at the heavy artillery captured and used or the last will of a suicide bomber. All made with the inevitable the Quranic music.
Among these standard elements, the video revealed details on the military capability of the group that experts call "troubling".
Some scenes were filmed during some clashes with regular troops, in the Baiji refinery complex.
The militia seem to implement precise infantry tactics (to reduce the risk of being hit by air raids or coverage for moving units), as visible are the additional supplies, a sign that the Islamic State has a structured logistics network to support the front-line fighters. The new standards reached show that the ISIS forces have now abandoned the guerrilla tactics for a more conventional military posture.
That acquired tactical trust (movement, interval, fire and cover), wants to demonstrate to the West the preparation of the Daesh army.
When compared to Iraqi government troops, then the comparison becomes disconcerting.
The ISIS manages to get huge amounts of water, food and ammunition on the front lines while Iraqi troops are almost always without supplies and are forced to plunder the villages.
Even the best trained Iraqis - said a former SAS engaged as a military consultant in the Region - waste a couple of shippers before actually hitting the target. Sometimes they do not hit anything at all and once the ammunition is finished they know they will not receive any more. Unlike the Islamic State - he concludes - which manages to guarantee constant supply flows.
The video shows once again, if ever there was a need, the real capabilities of the Iraqi government and the fundamental US air support.
It is a common opinion among analysts that without the Coalition, today's Iraqi troops would not be able to stop ISIS.
The video also revealed the ability of the Islamic State to adapt to American raids.
Most heavy artillery, including rocket launchers and heavy anti-aircraft guns, were mounted on trucks, reaching a very high level of camouflage designed to mask the 'positions' from the air.
A truck of common use has been modified to launch Katyushia rockets from 122 millimeters, but in a few seconds and only thanks to a cloth, this can perfectly blend in with civilian traffic. A technique already experimented and refined by Hezbollah in the last thirty years, to hide weapons from Israeli air forces.
The same technique is now used by ISIS to hide weapons from the Americans.
Just in the last hours, Hezbollah has defined the regular Iraqi troops as "corrupt and brutal".
Franco Iacch
