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According to their laws, the Iraqi Army isn’t allowed to enter Iraqi Kurdistan. Because of that they have the Peshmerga, the military forces who provide security for that region. “Peshmerga” literally translates as “one who confronts death” and these soldiers are fairly fearsome warriors with a history extending back thousands of years. As for the role they’ve played in the Iraq war, well, peshmerga soldiers played key roles in the capture of Saddam Hussein and also captured Hassan Ghul, the al-Qaeda member who led our own troops to Osama bin Laden’s personal messenger; it was a pivotal moment along the way to the terrorist’s death. Today peshmerga soldiers are battling it out against ISIS, and when they recently came across a vehicle booby-trapped with 50 kilos of explosives they decided to handle it their own way.
The peshmerga way of dealing with vehicle loaded to the gills with explosives doesn’t involve waiting around for EOD techs, it involves retreating behind cover and detonating said explosives themselves. But they don’t just detonate it, they shoot it with an H and K G36. The G36 is chambered in 5.56 NATO and you may recall reports of significant problems with the rifle’s accuracy as it heated up; those reports were later said to be inaccurate and blame for problems was laid at the feet – or copper jackets, as it were – of the ammunition being used at the time.
Take a look at the video link below to find out what happens when a 5.56 NATO round impacts a vehicle full of explosives. The soldier himself is surprised and to say the photographer gets a shock is an understatement. One thing’s for sure, the explosives are taken care of, and you have to admit this looks like fun (I don’t really have to say “do not try this at home” do I?).
