MENA – Page 24 – Silah Report

“Major League Infidel” Comes Full Circle In Iraq

October 2, 2017March 16, 2017 by Miles

Early in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, an emblem lifted from the Major League Baseball symbol was used to demonstrate the feelings of many American Soldiers and Marines deploying in support of OIF and OEF. It depicted a soldier in place of the traditional baseball hitter, against a background of red and blue, with the figure in white. Of course, the colors red, white and blue were synonymous with the American flag. The phrase “Major League Infidel” was attached at the bottom. Infidel, “Kafir”, or کافر is a popular moniker within the U.S. Military because this is the language used in propaganda videos put out by Al Qaeda, Taliban, or current Daesh groups. Soldiers and Marines hear this and take to the term as a sort of endearment as being unliked. Of course, these same Soldiers and Marines don’t realize that the word “Kafir” exists in Arabic versions of the Christian bible as used by Christian Arabs across the MENA region.

Even the extremely popular Crye Precision brand, that makes top quality camouflage clothing and patterns, has this on their website–

We created this trademarked slogan and icon to remind everyone that all “non-believers” in senseless violence are “infidels” and to celebrate the ones who actually do something about it… the Major League Infidels™

The Islamophobic rhetoric notwithstanding, the symbolism has interestingly made its way into Iraq, by way of the Iraqi ISOF forces. This time the logo is depicting the colors of the Iraqi flag; red, white, and black, with the motto found on the flag- الله اکبر, Allah Ak’bar, or translated as “God is Great”. The figure depicted is that of an Iraqi Special Operations Forces soldier with a raised Rock River Arms 14.5″ LAR-15, and Aimpoint CompM4 optic, both standard issue among ISOF forces. It is probable that the creator of this image wasn’t entirely sure of the original intent and meaning of the MLI originating from the States, but regardless he took the image and used it in a very pro-Iraqi context, which is actually anything but what the intention of the symbol was in the beginning. Thus, it has literally come full circle in the meaning, essentially changing it entirely.

In addition, it is cognisant of a much more important dynamic and that is the admiration and imitation of Iraqi and Afghan forces for U.S. forces. Copying everything from the way pouches are being set up on their plate carriers, helicopter safety lines, even attachments on their small arms to include Airsoft M203 imitations trying to replicate the look of real ones.

Below is a gathering of the original form of the meaning, to demonstrate just how clear the original intent was-

This particular logo has actually gone past the political and cultural ramifications and moved into Call of Duty.

Homemade Anti-Materiel Rifle With Iraqi Militia

October 2, 2017March 1, 2017 by Hrachya H

A Polish small arms magazine recently posted this to their social media page. It appears to be of a group of Iraqi militiamen from the Imam Ali Brigade, as is evidenced by the circular yellow patch with a Kalashnikov over an image of a green country profile of Iraq . The bearded militiaman is posing with a huge bolt action anti-materiel rifle. These DIY conversions had been seen multiple times during the Syrian conflict. Supposedly this gun uses either 14,5mm (from KPV or KPVT) or 23 mm (from ZU-23-2) barrel with an improvised receiver, bolt, trigger mechanism, furniture and bipod. You can also see a picatinny rail section mounted on top of the receiver for attaching a scope.

I guess they use the survived barrels from guns with damaged or destroyed mechanisms. Otherwise, it won’t be justified to take the barrel from a functional heavy machine gun or automatic cannon. Although depending on the situation it can be the case, too.

When making the new stock and forearm, the gunsmith definitely tried to make it look like an SVD/Al-Kadesiah.

Note also the other guys’ weapons: an AK, M4 Carbine and an M249 SAW LMG.

The Shi’a Imam Ali Brigade (Cited Source- The Observers)

The Iraqi Shiite militia known as the Imam Ali Brigades is accused of having committed multiple war crimes in the fight against the Islamic State organisation in Iraq, including summary executions and torture of captives. But its brutality isn’t the only thing fuelling the militia’s notoriety – it also has a well-oiled communications strategy.

In June 2014, Shiite leader Ayatollah Sistani made an appeal for mobilisation against the Islamic State organisation. Numerous Iraqi Shiite militias were formed after this announcement.

These new formations joined the four large, already-existing Shiite militias in Iraq: the Badr Brigade, founded in Iran in 1982; Saraya al-Salam (the “Peace Brigades”), which is directed by the radical Shiite religious cleric Moqtada al-Sadr; Asaib Ahl al-Haq (the “League of the Virtuous”); and, lastly, the Iraqi Ketaeb Hezbollah.

The Imam Ali Brigades have distinguished themselves by resorting to extreme violence. The militia, made up of combatants trained in Iran or Lebanon, has faced widening criticism since the release of a YouTube video showing men wearing the Imam Ali Brigades insignia burning a man.

Optic Mounted PKM in Syria (2016)

October 2, 2017February 28, 2017 by Miles

Kurdistan Insider posted this video of a Syrian Army advance in Aleppo in 2016. Most of the PKM variants being used in the Syrian conflict have been seen without any sort of optics platforms mounted to them, this is mostly because of the lack of equipment that many of these rebel groups can capture.

However in this case, it appears to be a thermal or at least an IR capable optic platform due to the bulbous appearance, in addition to the numerous knobs which might be battery caps for power. In addition the eye piece appears to be fitted or contoured to the shooter’s eye, indicating a bright screen that needs to be shielded during times of low light. Because this is a Syrian Army position, it is most likely that the optic is Russian supplied.

In the same video clip, what appears to be an AK century series rifle being used by frontline soldiers, possibly in 5.45x39mm due to the straighter magazine in use.

WW II Small Arms in Libya

February 25, 2017 by Miles

Although this these images are from a post that is several years old and on an Airsoft forum, the historical relevance is still very important to consider when examining small arms in the MENA region. These photographs came out during the massive unrest in Libya during and following the Libyan unrest otherwise known as “17 February” that overthrew long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Although many of these small arms were actually used in fighting, the photographs appear to show a lull, where militia forces aren’t actually engaged but are rather conducting target practice or celebrating.

Two variants of the U.S. 1919 are shown, the first one appears to be a heavily modified 1919A4 variant, while the second one is a 1919A6. At first glance, these may appear to be 7.62x51mm NATO variants that Israel modified to use in the IDF during the 1950s and 1960s. However, a closer look at the belt of ammunition reveals the length of the rounds do appear to be .30-06 Spr and thus are most likely original manufacture 1919A4s and A6s.

The photo below shows a Browning Hi Power, Sterling SMG, and a Caracano rifle in the background.

The proceeding two photographs are of a Russian 7.62x54Rmm DP28 light machine gun. These might have arrived in Libya as a form of surplus support from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

At an initial glance, this would appear to be a German 9x19mm MP40, but instead, due to the circular opening in the magazine well it is in fact, the predecessor to the MP40, the MP38.

This rifle appears to be a Mauser K98 with a broken stock that has been replaced

17 February Unrest Summary (Wikipedia)-

The first Libyan Civil War, also referred to as the Libyan Revolution^[33] or 17 February Revolution,^[34] was an armed conflict in 2011, in the North African country of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government.^[35]^[36] The war was preceded by protests in Zawiya on 8 August 2009, and finally ignited by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security forces that fired on the crowd.^[37] The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country,^[38] with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, the National Transitional Council.

The United Nations Security Council passed an initial resolution on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation.^[39] In early March, Gaddafi’s forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before reaching Benghazi. A further UN resolution authorised member states to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, and to use “all necessary measures” to prevent attacks on civilians.^[40] The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but fighting continued.^[41]^[42] Throughout the conflict, rebels rejected government offers of a ceasefire and efforts by the African Union to end the fighting because the plans set forth did not include the removal of Gaddafi.^[43]

Basij Militia Selfie Stick

February 24, 2017 by Hrachya H

During the training exercises of Iranian Basij militia forces, the personnel found a controversial use for what looks to be a Chinese made underfolder AK-47. The guy in the image has mounted a phone on the stock and uses the gun as a selfie stick! Why controversial? Well, at first it looks to be a nice trick, which various armies’ soldiers have been doing lately. On the other hand, the Basij soldier violates key safety rules by pointing the gun at himself. He actually doesn’t care about three of four safety rules. I hope at least he has a good trigger discipline.

About the Basij Militia, from Wikipedia-

The Basij (Persian: بسيج‎‎, lit. “The Mobilization”), Niruyeh Moghavemat Basij (Persian: نیروی مقاومت بسیج‎‎, “Mobilisation Resistance Force”), full name Sāzmān-e Basij-e Mostaz’afin (Persian: سازمان بسیج مستضعفین‎‎, “The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed”), is one of the five forces of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. A paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini.
It was an independent organization from inception until 17 February 1981, when it was officially incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards organization structure by the Iranian Parliament.
Today the force consists of young Iranian volunteers. Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in activities such as internal security, law enforcement auxiliary, providing social services, organizing public religious ceremonies, policing morals, and suppression of dissident gatherings. The force is named Basij and individual members are called basiji.

Iraq Spotlight: STG44 & MP40 Pair

February 20, 2017 by Miles

Recently coming out of Baghdad are these images of a very well worn down German STG44 and what comparatively appears to be a less used 9x19mm MP40 submachine gun. There were not any close up photographs of the internals of the small arms so it is hard to ascertain what year in WWII either was made in.

STG44s have been reported in abundance in neighboring Syria, often arming Daesh troops in Raqqa. There is even an inside report on these rifles by a source in Syria from TFB. The largest issue with them is that 7.62x33mm Kurz is extremely hard to come by, although the rifles themselves are very plentiful and in like new condition.

Notice on the MP40 the grip sleeve. These are used on a number of handguns in Iraq and is actually an Airsoft import from China. They come in a number of colors, from green to tan, to black.

Iranian M9-02 Handgun Introduced

February 17, 2017 by Miles

Recent news from The Firearm Blog show Iran’s state ran small arms company introducing a new striker fired, polymer framed handgun. The name of the handgun appears to be M9-02 as marked on the slide and it is in 9x19mm NATO. It appears to be very similar to a Walther P99 in dimension and operation. Connections to the P99 might come from Turkey as we know that Iran has a strategic and business friendship with Turkey. From a small arms perspective, at the very same defense exposition these handguns were revealed at, Iran’s newest assault rifle was seen with a Turkish Safir AR magazine inserted on Silah Report. That being said, Turkish company Canik has produced a locally copied version of the P99 as the Canik 55 TP-9. This American blogger has put together an excellent comparison of a Walther P99 and the Canik 55 TP-9, showing the massive similarities.

From TFB-

It appears to be a polymer framed, striker fired, 9x19mm handgun, with much inspiration drawn from a Walter P99 through the method of disassembly and overall shape of the frame. The magazine appears to have an added capacity floor plate, leading me to assume that another magazine is available with a flush fit option. It seems to lack a manual safety, usually a requirement for military handguns, and it appears to have night sights by way of white dots embedded in them. Whether these sights light up at night through the use of tritium or another substance is unclear at this moment.

Iran is going through a substantial rearmament and redesign of a number of weapon systems, to include the primary issue rifle, taking on an AR15 appearance. Earlier, Iran produced a Glock-like handgun called the Raa’d (Thunderbolt), but this appears to have not been adopted in any substantial numbers or at all.

This image shows the differences and similarities between the Walther P99 and the Canik 55 TP-9

AR70s in Iraq

February 17, 2017 by Miles

Images gained from Iraqi social media groups have indicated the transfer and usage of 5.56x45mm NATO Beretta AR70s. Specifically there has been one rifle spotted with the Shi’a Al-Abbas Brigade. The Al-Abbas Brigade was originally formed in Syria in 2012 but after heavy losses with Daesh moved to Iraq in 2014.

Some of these AR70s appear to have been modified with Airsoft picatinny rail handgun systems to provide a picatinny interface. The Italian rifle never received an upgrade to a picatinny system having been replaced by Beretta’s ARX-160 instead. The rail in the title photograph looks to be a very common AR Airsoft rail coming out of China with the oval vents, very similar to many handguards from UTG. However the example below might be one of the Daniel Defense fakes with the 12 o’clock gas tube vents actually installed at the 6 o’clock position. Both examples show an M16A4 handguard mounted to a rail section that covers the top portion of the rifle, leading S.R. to believe that they might originate from the same source or small arms market.

Safir AR Magazines in use by Peshmerga, Iran

February 13, 2017 by Miles

Safir Arms is a Turkish firearms company that primarily produces .410 AR clones. However, the company debuted a 5.56x45mm NATO AR magazine in 2014 along with a bullpup rifle under the name T-14 that shared a number of AR components. The rifle never seemed to have advanced past a prototype stage, but the magazine design included was turned into a manufacturing run. Currently it is listed on the company’s website and in the catalog. The listed magazine and bullpup rifle appear below along with a modular adaption of an AR rifle.

Unlike similar polymer magazines such as Magpul’s Pmag and ProMag’s signature polymer magazine, the Safir Arms version has four columns along the side of the magazine, in addition to a ribbed portion that sits below the magazine well of an AR when inserted. Observe the differences in the photographs of the Magpul and Promag-

However, recently the same magazine design has appeared in usage with certain Peshmerga forces, specifically security forces armed with NEA Arms PDWs in Kurdistan. In addition it also appeared in a recent Iranian defense weapons exposition in Tehran. Whether or not the magazine has been copied by the Iranians and being manufactured locally is unknown at this point in time.

With the Peshmerga in the ARES post-

And at the Iranian exposition-

FP’s Take on Malhama Tactical

February 10, 2017 by Miles

Malhama Tactical has been covered through numerous defense and small arms websites recently but this is the first time the print magazine Foreign Policy has ran an article on its unique guns for hire status. The group is led by an Uzbek fighter, who appears to have had some previous military training at an enlisted level.

From FP-

The group’s leader is a 24-year-old from Uzbekistan who goes by the name Abu Rofiq (an Arabic pseudonym that means father of Rofiq). Little is known about him other than that he cycles through personal social media accounts rapidly, using fake names and false information to throw off surveillance efforts. In virtually every video and photo posted online, he wears a scarf or balaclava to cover his face from the nose down, leaving visible only his narrow dark eyes and long, somewhat tangled, pitch-black hair. He speaks fluent Russian, but with a slight Uzbek accent.

Since launching in May 2016, Malhama has grown to do brisk business in Syria, having been contracted to fight, and provide training and other battlefield consulting, alongside groups like the al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front) and the Turkistan Islamic Party, a Uighur extremist group from China’s restive Xinjiang province. And despite recent rebel setbacks in Syria, including the loss of Aleppo, demand for Malhama Tactical’s services in the country is as strong as ever, Abu Rofiq told Foreign Policy in an interview conducted over the messaging app Telegram.

But he is also beginning to think about expanding elsewhere. His group is willing to take work, Abu Rofiq says, wherever Sunni Muslims are oppressed. He cites China and Myanmar as places that would benefit from jihad. He also suggests that Malhama Tactical might go back to its roots, returning to fight in the North Caucasus against the Russian government.

The group’s videos do show a certain degree of tactical proficiency, but lack the finesse that comes with being an NCO, such as this video covering casualty aid under fire. The casualty is assessed and treated, but there is very little respect to security being provided.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OxLah2rgMM