The Middle East, despite all the wealth beneath it, is a region that never makes the people living on it happy. In countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya, where everyone kills each other because they want to gain power, terrorist incidents have been going on for years and seem to continue. You may have seen the videos of terrorist organizations fighting in these regions before. In these videos, especially Soviet-made Kalashnikov; In other words, we see the pickup cars of the Japanese brand Toyota together with the bladed weapons. Well, have you ever thought about why the warring powers in the Middle East prefer pickup trucks?
Although this situation was noticed when it was seen that most of the cars in the ISIS convoy were pickups in the past years, it is known that the forces fighting in the region have been turning to pickup cars for many years. In fact, in the armed conflict between Chad troops and the Libyan state led by Gaddafi in 1987, these cars came to the fore so much that this war was unofficially called the “Toyota War”. This situation is not unique to the uncontrolled forces in the region. We see that the Middle East, which consists of mostly Arab countries, actually prefers Toyota pickup vehicles. So let’s take a look at the reason behind it.
Why are turntables so widely used in wars in the Middle East?
Terrorist organization, irregular army, non-state or weak state forces that do not have access to military vehicles such as armored vehicles and tanks in the Middle East, by purchasing Toyota’s Hilux and Land Croiser models they use these vehicles in armed operations. These forces, which do not have extensive logistics services, prefer these vehicles as a durable and strong car that will not break easily, especially in rough terrain with mountainous areas and desert climate.
The pickup models used are extremely durable cars that can be used both on rough terrain and in urban areas. These cars, which are not easily damaged and can be repaired quickly when broken, are therefore frequently used in the Middle East. Apart from all these, there is another very important reason for the use of pickup trucks in this region: the safe that makes it possible to carry weapons.
One of the most important reasons behind the preference of pickup type vehicles in the Middle East is equipment such as machine guns that can be attached to the vehicle’s frame. Pickup trucks are a very important logistics resource for terrorist organizations and other forces fighting against regular armies with these equipment.
It is already known that pickup models are often preferred for transporting tourists in difficult road conditions such as forest areas in Africa. The reason for this is that the vehicles in question have a mechanical system that will not break easily.
So how do these vehicles fall into the hands of terrorist organizations?
Organized a military parade in the streets of Raqqa city in northern Syria in 2014, ISIS made a show of strength with pickup vehicles. Lukman Faily, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, told ABC after this incident that he had purchased hundreds of new pickup trucks as ISIS rose to prominence in Iraq and Syria. “This is a question we ask our neighbors. How could brand new trucks have been bought… Where do hundreds of four-wheel drive cars come from?” Faily said, actually posing a question that many people wondered about.
Although pickup vehicles appeared in the show of strength of ISIS, in fact, we have been seeing Toyota’s pickup trucks specifically in such terrorist incidents for years.
Of course, this question was also asked of Toyota. Responding to the question, a Toyota spokesperson said: “Toyota has a strict policy of not selling these vehicles to potential buyers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities.”
Toyota officials said that when they talked about the new cars in the hands of ISIS, they did not know how these cars fell into the hands of terrorists, and that they applied the rule not to sell cars to those involved in terrorist activities, but they were bought and then resold. or that they did not know what happened to the stolen cars.
According to the data, Toyota brand vehicles pass into the hands of terrorists by changing hands. In other words, the van bought by someone else as brand new is bought or stolen by terrorists. These pickup trucks can withstand anything from rough terrain to desert sand and heat. It is not easily broken down, and in case of problems, it can be quickly repaired with cheap parts.
Today we explained to you why pickup trucks are so common in the Middle East. Do not forget to share your thoughts on this subject with us in the comments section.
Source: 1, 2, 3
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