Conflict – Page 10 – Silah Report

V8 Silah Report Podcast: sniper ‘battalions’ in Idlib, G36 rifles & more!

September 20, 2019September 7, 2019 by Adham S

In episode 8 of the Silah Report Podcast, Miles and Adham are joined by guests AnalystMick, Daniel, and AbuZaben to discuss their recent findings in the MENA region. We cover sniper ‘battalions’ in Idlib, interesting SALW being offered for sale in Yemen, German vs. Saudi G36 rifles, and more! We also answer questions provided by our Patreon backers at the $5 or more per month level. Want to ask us a question related to small arms and light weapons in the Middle East, North Africa, or Central Asia regions? Become a backer today!

https://soundcloud.com/silah-report/v8-silah-report-podcast-sniper-battalions-in-idlib-g36s-and-more

Colloquial Names and Prices on the Yemeni Gun Market

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019 by Miles

In this article a Yemeni writer looks at some of the general trends in Kalashnikov-patterned rifles within Yemen, going over serval models and some of the intricacies that exist within them. Note that although prices are given in US Dollars, the majority of the market uses Yemeni or Saudi Rials for payment.

Before 2015 the majority of our AKs were of Russians, Polish, Hungarian, Chinese, and Bulgarian origin. But in 2015 the Houthis invaded the coastal city of Aden and at that time an Arab coalition was created to support the southern resistance. When this fighting began

From the Arab alliance, the Saudis and United Arab Emirates forces supplied the southern resistance with airdrops.

The Last Gunsmiths of The Khyber Pass

June 9, 2020August 23, 2019 by Abdullah K.

Fog clings to a never-ending row of low-rise buildings down the length of a dusty road, it’s early, around eight o’clock on a cool April morning. The fog clears and voices breakthrough and you see the first glimpses of the large bazaar, sounds of shutters slamming open, doors being unlocked and people greeting each other as their day starts. The occasional chatter of gunfire can be heard as firearms are test fired nearby.

Darra Adam Khel. This bustling town is situated in modern-day Pakistan, a stone’s throw from the Pak-Afghan border. What makes it so special? You may ask and the answer lies within the myriad of myths and legends put out over the years.

Silah Report Podcast Vol.1: Kalashnikov Heat Treatment in Darra, Egyptian Hand Grenades

July 30, 2019July 5, 2019 by Miles

Welcome to Silah Report’s inaugural podcast! Today we had Hrachya, Adham, Abdullah, Vladimir, and Miles discussing everything from barrel heat treatment in KPK to obscure Egyptian hand grenades.

The podcast can be listened to here on Soundcloud, but stay tuned here and follow along because we share a number of the images that are being discussed in this post.

Book Review: Desert Sniper by Ed Nash

July 30, 2019May 22, 2019 by Miles

Desert Sniper follows British citizen turned YPG/SDF foreign fighter volunteer through his experiences fighting with the SDF in Syria during 2015-2016. Ed was motivated by his desire to go and fight an enemy that none of the world seemed to care too much about fighting, which at that was the so-called Islamic State. Once he got into northeastern land mass in Syria known as Rojava, he actually became a sniper for the SDF, supporting SDF infantrymen in such campaigns as Hasaka, Shidaddi, and finally in Minbij where he ended his service in Syria.

PKT Coaxial Machine Gun Modified for Infantry Use

July 30, 2019December 27, 2018 by Hrachya H

If you visit the Russian Wikipedia page about the PK machine gun, you will see a rather interesting image (see above) showing a soldier who holds a rather unusual “homemade” conversion of the PK machine gun. According to the article, the soldier on the picture represents the Artsakh Republic Defense Army. The picture was supposedly taken in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Sinai Bedouin Equipped With IMI Makleon

July 30, 2019December 23, 2018 by Adham S

Since the terror attack that occurred on the 24th of November 2017, many Bedouins in Sinai rushed to join the Egyptian Armed Forces’ fight against Sinai Province (ISIS’ branch in Sinai) as a sanctioned militia. Although they do receive armament and supplies from the military, they are already well armed with smuggled weapons that came from Libya, Sudan, and even Israel as seen in this photo!

The Arms Smuggling Hub of Egypt: The South

July 30, 2019November 26, 2018 by Adham S

The southern region of Egypt is known for its green pastures lying on both sides of the Nile River, Abu Simbel Temple which tourists from all over the world travel to see, Lake Nasser that was formed by the Aswan High Dam, Luxor’s Karnak Temple. Valley of the Kings and so many more. Yet, there aren’t many tourists who would venture out and try to deal with the local inhabitants, who have their own unique Egyptian Arabic dialects, own unique traditions, and culture, which separates them from the dwellers of Cairo, Alexandria, and Northern Egypt.

Afghan SOF small arms photo essay

July 30, 2019November 24, 2018 by Miles

This essay originally appeared in December of 2015 on The Firearm Blog.

This post is about the Afghan SOF community, or at least what they want to allow to show us on their official Facebook page. Apart from browsing through pictures of “Commandos” (all the red patches in the photos are their official insignia, MARSOC wore it in Helmand), I’ve worked with them in Helmand.

Notes on the Denel PAW-20 in use by Kurdish Forces

July 30, 2019November 19, 2018 by Miles

Variants of the South African Denel Praetoria Metal Pressings produced “Inkunzi” direct fire 20x42mm Personal Assault Weapon (PAW)-20 have been spotted in use by the Kurdish E.A.H.K Counter Terrorism Unit. This is one of a number of Kurdish Peshmerga units organized along a special operations or strike force concept, some of the others being the Western Kurdistan Special Forces and the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG).