One of the most common and terrifying features of the close-quarters combat that has raged in Mosul since October was the suicide car bombs built and deployed by ISIS.
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Iraqi police paraded ISIS' favorite weapon around after recapturing Mosul
US officials have said the weapons were "reminiscent of a Mad Max vehicle."
Vehicles used for suicide car bombings, made by ISIS militants, at Federal Police headquarters after being confiscated in Mosul, Iraq.
The car bombs — which were made of everything from Kia hatchbacks to bulldozers — were sent through city streets to target Iraqi positions, and ISIS often featured them prominently in propaganda videos.
This week, Iraqi federal police put 23 such vehicles on display.
"Heroes of the Emergency Rapid Division and the Federal Police seized these cars in successful night raids," Iraqi Federal Police Capt. Bassam Hillo Kadhim said.
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Earlier this year, US officials said ISIS militants appeared to be forcing children and disabled people in the car bombs, which they said was a sign the terror group was running out of willing drivers.
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US officials have called the weapons "reminiscent of a Mad Max vehicle," and coalition strikes on them and the factories producing them often yielded massive explosions.
The suicide car bombs, also called vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, or VBIED, were a frequent target of coalition aircraft over Mosul.
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Prior to the advance on Mosul, Iraqi officials believed ISIS constructed most of its car bombs around Fallujah. They went so far as to dig a trench around the city to force traffic onto a single road.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in Mosul on Sunday. The fighting intensified in its final days, as Iraqi forces pushed into ISIS' last redoubt in west Mosul's Old City. Iraqi forces killed a number of jihadis trying to escape the city in the days prior to al-Abadi's announcement.
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Fighting was still going on Friday, however. Iraqi helicopters continued to fly missions over the city, and videos have emerged purportedly showing revenge attacks on and abuses of people detained during the city's recapture.
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The US has pledged an extra $119 million in humanitarian aid for Iraq. After three years of ISIS occupation and nine months of fighting, experts say it could take a decade or longer to remove munitions and explosives from Mosul, which is Iraq's second-biggest city.
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The recapture of Mosul brings other political and social divisions in Iraq to the fore, and the country must now grapple with post-war conflicts.
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