ICC Note: According to Peshmerga forces, ISIS is hiding bombs in children’s toys in liberated cities. The new draconian tactic is aimed at civilians returning to their homes. Coalition forces are seeing more and more booby traps in liberated areas, specifically in children’s homes. The process of clearing bombs and traps such as these is time consuming and dangerous.

11/03/2016 Iraq (Christian Post): The Islamic State is using draconian methods to dissuade families from returning to their homes in liberated areas around Mosul by planting explosive devices in teddy bears and toys that would be detonated if picked up by children, killing unsuspecting families.

The Observer reported on Sunday that IS is not only trying to push back Iraqi ground forces who are looking to liberate Mosul, but also want to strike fear into residents and populations that might be looking to come back home.

“Why would ISIS use something nice, like a bear or a rabbit? They used this toy because they know the Peshmerga [Kurdish fighters] will not touch it, but children will,” said Colonel Nawzad Kamil Hassan, an engineer with the Kurdish Peshmerga.

“Our brigade has cleared more than 50 tons of explosives from areas liberated from the ISIS control.”

A number of the explosive-ridden toys have reportedly been specifically designed to catch the attention of returning civilians.

“The expertise of ISIS with explosives and extensive use of suicide bombs and booby traps makes attacking them particularly dangerous, and slows recovery when they are defeated. Because there is no area, civilian or military that the group will not lace with explosives, many Iraqis fear that returning to their homes and former lives could be deadly, even long after militants have left,” The Observer reports.

Hassan revealed that soldiers are uncovering more and more of these hidden bombs the further they go into IS controlled territory, and warned that the dangers will remain in place until everything is cleared.

“They are not even animals,” he said of IS while picking up a deactivated teddy bear. “They are worse than animals.”

The terror group has carried out horrific punishments against children in a number of reported incidents. Back in September, a local source told Iraqi News that six boys who belonged to a resistance faction were tortured to death by excruciatingly hot welding iron and rods.

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