Winnipeg weapons expert studying ISIS arms factories in Iraq

Devin Morrow, a technical advisor for Conflict Armament Research, is shown here next to a tunnel drilling machine used by ISIS in Iraq. (Source: Devin Morrow)

As coalition forces try to drive ISIS out of the city of Mosul in norther Iraq, one Winnipeg woman is part of a group moving in to study the weapons used by the extremist group.

Devin Morrow is a technical advisor for Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based group that traces weapons illicitly trafficked in conflict zones.

The Iraqi military and their allies have been locked in a months-long battle to retake Mosul, the country’s second-largest city and a major urban base for ISIS in Iraq. Iraqi troops have managed to push ISIS fighters out of east Mosul and surrounding villages.

Morrow has seen first-hand the damage left behind. “You can see, the towns are just devastated,” she said.

A devastated house in a village east of Mosul, Iraq. (Source: Devin Morrow)

In November, Morrow’s team embedded with Iraqi forces to study weapons and ammunition found in the area.

Instead of finding weapons that had been brought in from outside, Morrow and her team found factories that are part of a massive industrial-scale production line, creating weapons for the Islamic State.

“Previously, terrorist groups have created their own improvised explosive devices for a very long time,” said Morrow. “But the level of production is really unheard of, at this point,” said Morrow.

Morrow said ISIS has a sophisticated monitoring and quality-control system, with a centralized bureau overseeing the production of their weapons.

“So it’s not just IEDs anymore. They’re also creating mortars, and rockets, and they’re able to do this on a large and consistent scale,” said Morrow.

Rockets and mortars made in an ISIS weapons factory in Mosul, Iraq. (Source: Devin Morrow)

The Conflict Armament Research team also found that ISIS is using commercially available chemicals found in fertilizers and electronics to make explosives. Much of these components are made in Turkey and eventually find their way through northern Iraq into Mosul.

Morrow said this shows that even though ISIS might not have conventional weapons purchased on the international arms market, it hasn’t hurt its ability to put up a strong fight against coalition forces.

“It does indicate that it is going to be a longer battle than expected, I think,” she said.

James Fergusson, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, said the research Morrow and her group are doing provides valuable insight into the arms trade.

“I think it’s extremely important research, not least of all because it will explode a lot of myths that are surrounding the ideas of how you acquire arms,” said Fergusson.

“You have what I call the Hollywood impact, You see these films about surreptitious arms dealers who have very nefarious ties to different people, and they’re selling arms. We don’t usually pay much attention to local production, which is the case in ISIS,” he said.

Rockets and mortars made in an ISIS weapons factory in Mosul, Iraq. (Source: Devin Morrow)

Morrow started working in Iraq in 2014, focusing on landmine action and refugee response in northern Iraq and Kurdistan. She said it’s important not to forget the human cost of the conflict.

“To me, tracing conventional weapons and determining how they’re diverted into the illegal market can, you know, big picture, hopefully reduce the likelihood of conflict happening, or the intensity of conflict,” she said.

Morrow returned to Iraq in February and she said her group will continue working in Iraq as long as there is work to be done.