Named after the word for ancient Syria, the new rebel secret weapon against the regime looks like it could have been made around the same time. "Sham II" is, at first glance, a piece of rusty junk but Syrian opposition fighters told AFP on Monday that this metal box can withstand cannon fire.
The armored vehicle, made of re-used light steel took a month of work to make, according to rebels. Speaking to AFP, Mahmud Ahud, a fighter from the Al-Ansar brigade based in Bishqatin, near Aleppo, said: "This is my brother, a trained engineer, who got the idea. We got a car, left its diesel motor on the chassis and built the engine."
However, the rust-buckets are still not going cheap, Ahud explained that the vehicles cost around $10,000, gun not included. The makeshift armoured car is still not built to withstand either tank fire or rocket-propelled grenades although it does boast three cameras and a machinegun, controlled from inside the cabin.
Previous attempts at making 'Sham' were not so successful. Sham version 2.0 is a considerable improvement on the original which offered no cover from enemy fire for anyone other than the driver.
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