Iraqi mechanic salvages old vehicles to fight Islamic State

Reuters Canada has published an article about an Iraqi former army mechanic that is attempting to repair Saddam era armored vehicles in order to fight against the Islamic State.  The mechanic, identified as Madhi al-Sukaini, is quoted saying “The scrap yard where thousands of bits of army equipment are dumped is close to where I live and it was a constant reminder of the long war with Iran.  One time I passed by and an idea flashed in my mind: Why don’t I repair some of the dumped armored vehicles to help in the war against Daesh?”  The article notes that so far, al-Sukaini and his sons have restored a MT-LB to running order and also mounted a 23mm cannon on it in an improvised armored turret.  Full article here.