Wary of airstrikes, ISIS jihadis changing tactics

A tribal sheikh from a village south of Kirkuk said Islamic State elements “abandoned one of their biggest headquarters in the village” when they heard the air strike campaign was likely to target their area.

“They took all their furniture, vehicles and weapons. Then they planted roadside bombs and destroyed the headquarters,” said the tribal sheikh who declined to be named.

“They don’t move in military convoys like before. Instead they use motorcycles, bicycles, and if necessary, they use camouflaged cars,” he said.

The militants have also taken to erecting their notorious black flag on the rooftops of several mostly empty residential houses and buildings, to create confusion about their actual presence.