‘Islamic State’ Boasts Scud Missile and Tanks in Celebratory Military Parade

Islamist militants with the newly renamed "Islamic State" paraded military hardware through the streets of a Syrian town on Monday, including what appeared to be a Scud missile, tanks and armored personnel carriers seized from government forces.

Islamist militants paraded military equipment, including a Scud missile in Raqqa, Syria. (Image source: Twitter)

The group — which announced it is rebranding itself from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to simply the "Islamic State" — has made wide territorial gains in both Syria and neighboring Iraq and has also grabbed copious amounts of military equipment, ranging from automatic weapons to American-made Humvees and even helicopters, according to some reports.

Jihadi fighters ride a tank and wave flags in the Raqqa parade. (Image source: Twitter)

Photos taken of the parade also showed an Islamic State poster showing a woman covered from head to toe in strict Islamic fashion. (Image source: Twitter)

Video and photos from the parade show masked men standing on a truck carrying the Scud and on top of tanks – reported to be T-55s, according to the British Telegraph newspaper – and waving black Islamic State flags.

Cars driving behind the military hardware waved black flags and honked in celebration.

Several scholars who study the war zone cast doubt on the efficacy of the ballistic missile, including these comments:

Whether it actually works or not, parading the missile likely sent a chilling statement to potential opponents and residents of Raqqa, the capital of the newly declared caliphate where strict Shariah law is being implemented, including banning alcoholic drinks and limiting the public practice of Christianity.

The missile on display was reportedly captured more than a year ago, as suggested in this blog post that was linked to by several Syria and Iraq-scholars.

The Middle East Media Research Institute reported that the video was posted online on Monday and that the Scud bears the inscription, “The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (Syria or the Levant).”

(H/T: MEMRI)