A phenomenon that has been observed with YPG/YPJ Fighters in recent years has been the practice of wrapping service rifles with fitted fabric. The extent to which rifles have been fitted goes from small pieces that might just cover the magazine or handguard to full-length covers that can sometimes enclose the entire rifle. The reason behind these wraps range from a sort of camouflage to a purely aesthetic venture.
Conflict
Operation Balak: The IDF’s Star of David on Nazi Rifles
“All is fair in love and war” is an idiom in English that refers to the practice of otherwise questionable actions being considered acceptable under exceptional circumstances. When talking about weaponry in general, one example to illustrate the aforementioned saying would be the direct use of an enemy’s arms of war to forward one’s own agenda. Anti-Communist Afghan Mujahideen fighting their Soviet enemies with Soviet-made weaponry, Islamic State attacking regional adversaries with US M4’s and M16’s or the post-war US government employing former German and Japanese scientists and technologies for their fight against the Red Menace are all examples of this common practice. The Israeli Defense Forces‘ hexagram emblem on Nazi Mauser-manufactured Kar98k carbines is another interesting manifestation of this idiom.
Kobani Martyrs Memorial Museum, Syria
The northern Syrian border town of Kobani weighs heavily on the hearts of Kurdish people from northeastern Syria. Hymns, poems, and tales of great bravery and sacrifice all resonate from the brutal urban combat that occurred there between YPG/YPJ fighters and so-called Islamic State forces in 2014, when the Takfiri movement was at its height of power and control. It was the bloody struggle for Kobani that kindled the fire of Kurdish identity that finds itself today still fighting for survival against Turkish and local forces alike.
A Bodeo Model 1889 Revolver Surfaces in Libya
In his first guest post for Silah Report Daniel Casingena looks at a 19th century Italian revolver which recently surfaced on social media and reportedly originated in Libya.
Does a Sinister Symbol on a Remington Rolling Block Hint at its Role as an Executioner’s Weapon?
‘If walls could talk’ is a popular idiom to express the desire of wanting to know more about what happened in a certain place. But what if weapons could talk? What could tell us their experiences on the field of battle? There’s at least one rifle whose story would be downright horrific, a sinister engraved symbol on its receiver a faint witness of long gone atrocities.
V12 Silah Report Podcast: Patreon Questions and Large ISIS Arsenal Captured
In the 12th episode of Silah Report Podcast we were joined by Adham, Vlad, Daniel, Miles, Ataka, MENA, Analyst Mick, and Abdullah Khyber. We answered four questions submitted by Patreon supporters of Silah Report and discussed an ISIS weapons and munitions cache recently captured by Iraqi security forces.
If you’d like to have your questions answered by our panel please support Silah Report on Patreon and submit questions as often as you like!
If you missed last week’s episode, you can find it here.
Silah Report Podcast V10: Missile and Drone strikes on KSA’s Oil Refineries,AK74s in Syria and More!
In the latest episode of Silah Report Podcast, we spoke about the shocking news of missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s oil refineries, discussing how this was possible in the first place and which players in the region may be behind it. As well as the types of drones and missiles which may have been used. We also discussed 5.45 x 39mm smalls arms in Iraq and Syria.
V9 Silah Report Podcast: Sinai’s ISIS latest Video, Baluchistan’s Fighters and More!
Just one day after ISIS in Sinai (also known as Sinai Province or “Wilayat Sinai”) had published its latest video, Silah Report recorded its 9th podcast and discussed the video’s content and analysed it. Miles, Hrachya, and Adham from Silah Report were joined by guests Calibre Obscura, Analyst Mick, Ataka, MENA Conflict, and KhyberAbdullah. ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones also made a special guest appearance.
If you missed last week’s podcast, check it out here.
Silah Report Joins Armament Research Services!
Silah Report is excited to announce that we have joined the Armament Research Services (ARES)
team! ARES is a specialist technical intelligence consultancy, offering expertise and analysis to a
range of government and non-government entities in the arms and munitions field.
What this means for our readers is more content—with writing and editing of a higher
standard—supported by the experience and technical expertise of ARES personnel. Together, ARES
and Silah Report will continue to produce important research into topics that are often
misunderstood or overlooked. We remain committed to supporting emerging researchers,
historians, and analysts by providing an accessible platform, with mentorship and guidance.
Silah Report will continue to operate independently and non-commercially, and will continue providing
timely, first-look research into arms and munitions in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia
regions. ARES is providing core funding support and will help in raising the profile of Silah Report’s
research. All commercial engagement will be handled through ARES.
As a reader-funded outlet, providing freely and publicly available articles, we are still relying on our
readers to support our work and to help us to expand. We are deeply appreciative of the support we
have received through Patreon so far, and we encourage those of you who find our work valuable to
consider supporting us.
Miles Vining Hrachya Hayrapetyan
Co-founder Co-founder
Media/press inquiries: media@armamentresearch.com
You can find ARES’ corresponding announcement here.
Erbil’s Gunsmith: Wasta Bakhtiar-Azizz
While in Erbil, we sat down with Wasta Bakhtiar-Azizz (وە ستا بە ختیار), one of the best-known and most highly respected gunsmiths in the Kurdistan region. Within Erbil and beyond, there are a number of gunsmiths that either work on small arms in need of maintenance and repair or perform services such as re-bluing, gold plating, modifications, and a number of other odd jobs that Kurdish gun owners request. Bakhtiar has worked in this community since he was a child, continuing the family’s business of his father, who was himself a renowned gunsmith. His son joins him in running the shop, and his brother owns a separate gun shop on the eastern side of Erbil. In addition to offering commercial gunsmithing services, he also volunteers his services to the Asyeish and Peshmerga, helping in maintaining and repairing their small arms.