Nash, Ed/Searle, Alaric/Rodríguez, Felipe Kurdish Armour Against ISIS. YPG/SDF tanks, technicals and AFVs in the Syrian Civil War, 2014-19

One of the most remarkable mechanized campaigns of recent years pitted the brutal and heavily armed jihadis of Islamic State against an improvised force belonging to the Kurdish YPG (later the SDF). While some Kurdish vehicles were originally from Syrian Army stocks or captured from ISIS, many others were extraordinary homemade AFVs based on truck or digger mechanicals, or duskas, the Kurds' version of the technical. Before US air power was sent to Syria, these were the Kurds' most powerful and mobile weapons. Co-written by a British volunteer who fought with the Kurds and an academic expert on armoured warfare, this study explains how the Kurds built and used their AFVs in the war against "Daesh", and identifies as far as possible which vehicles took part in major battles, such as Kobane, Manbij and Raqqa. With detailed new artwork depicting the Kurds' range of armour and many previously unpublished photos, this is an original and fascinating look at modern improvised mechanized warfare.

Major battles such as Kobane, Manbij and Raqqa are also covered in this context. Illustrated with many previously unpublished photos and colour vehicle profiles, the work offers an in-depth look at the range of improvised armoured vehicles on the Kurdish side.