In the first article of this series on Palestinian underground weapons manufacturing, we reviewed some of the weaponry made locally by Hamas including pistols, submachine guns and anti-tank rifles. In this article, we will continue to explore more of their production capabilities. Check out part one of this series here.
Non-State Actors
Albanians Fighting in Syria: Xhemati Alban in 2020 – Part 1
This article is the first of a four part series where we will focus on the weapons seen in the propaganda of Xhemati Alban, an ethnic Albanian insurgent group operating in Syria, published in 2020.
Tactical Analysis: The Al-Maleka Operation’s Mistakes
On 29 November 2004, two militants from the Gaza Strip performed a suicidal raid (a martyrdom operation from the Palestinian point of view since the attackers knew its was a one-way trip) against an Israeli military site called Al-Malaka (Al-Maleka) inside the strip. This operation took place in 2004 before the former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon decided to unilaterally withdraw his troops and dismantle Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005. In this article, we will discuss the operation step by step from a tactical perspective
Exploring the Etymological Origin of the so-called “Technical”
The term technical as a designation for light improvised fighting vehicles is quite the neologism (a word or term which has entered use relatively recently), which has increasingly entered common vernacular, though not yet fully accepted into mainstream military parlance of professional First World armies. The latter often speak instead of a Non-Standard Tactical Vehicle (NSTV), which quite sufficiently covers what a technical actually is. In this article we’ll examine the etymological origins of the ‘technical’.
Palestinian Factions Hold Joint ‘Tough Corner’ Maneuvers in Gaza
On 29th December, 2020, all of the Palestinian armed resistance factions in Gaza organized and participated in joint maneuvers under the name of “The Tough Corner”, the reason behind that name is the message they wanted to send: (‘Our Unity Is Our Tough Corner’). Also the date was chosen to correspond with the 12th anniversary of the Gaza War that took place in 2008/2009.
Tactical Analysis: How Hamas Captured an IDF Tavor X95 From the Nahal Oz Pillbox
During Israeli military campaign against Gaza in 2014, Hamas and its military wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam brigades, released a video showing a group of their fighters from the وحدة الأنفاق ‘Tunnel Unit’ raiding an Israeli Army’s pillbox in the Nahal Oz area east of the Gaza strip. Footage from the operation was broadcasted on Al-Aqsa TV (a Palestinian television broadcasting station), which was a smart propaganda move to contribute to the psychological war against the Israelis and raise the morale of the Palestinians. The entire operation was captured on video, although some segments were edited to hide operational techniques. Hamas fighters also displayed the Tavor X95 5.56x45mm rifle captured from an Israeli soldier – the topic of this article. We will examine the footage and analyse the tactics used by the fighters who carried out the raid and captured the rifle.
Improvised Small Arms of ISIS in the Sinai Campaign
Ever since Libya fell into the civil war of 2011 Egypt has had a massive problem with arms smuggling on its borders with Libya. Thousands upon thousands of firearms, tons of explosives, legacy anti-air MANPADs, as well as advanced weaponry like the Kornet ATGM. Egypt in 2011 was almost in a complete state of chaos due to a revolution that saw its then-president Hosni Mubarak removed from power after ruling the country for thirty years and replaced by the SCAF (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces). In this article we will examine some of the improvised munitions and weapons that have been spotted on the Sinai Peninsula.
Podcast V28: Noori, The Iraqi Gun Engraving Artisan
Welcome to the 28th episode of the Silah Report Podcast, we recently had the pleasure of speaking with Noori, an artisan who runs a business of handcrafting decorations on firearms in Iraq. We have covered Noori’s interesting work in past articles here at Silah Report. To say that the quality of his artwork is incredibly professional and its quality is extremely beautiful would be an understatement. In our interview with him, we enquired in-depth abut Iraqi gun culture, his background, how he entered the field, his business in a war-torn country, the challenges he faced and what does think the future holds for him.
Syrian Civil War Crest Symbology: Comparative Conclusion
In this series we have examined Syrian armed groups from across the entire political spectrum who at one point or another during the war featured a firearm in their official crest. Our goal is to present a statistical overview of the small arms used in this military imagery and to share some interesting information I was able to deduce. You can find the first three parts of this series here, here and here. In this fourth and final part, we will make a comparative overview of all the political affiliations fighting previously focused on throughout the previous posts.
Pen Guns of Kabul
In recent weeks we’ve seen a large number of media reports stemming from an AFP report which was picked up by numerous outlets reporting on pen guns confiscated in Kabul. The clandestine nature of the pen guns no doubt amplifying international interest. AFP or Agence France-Presse is an international news agency and the story was picked up by news outlets around the world including the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. A cache of some 48 pen guns was discovered during Afghan National Police operations.