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’.
ARES New Research Paper Looks at Online Arms Trade in Syria
Armament Research Services have published a new research paper, Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria. It provides a ‘first-look’ analysis of more than 800 individual trades of small arms, light weapons, munitions, and blank-firing weapons conducted during a three-month period between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021. A collaborative effort between affiliates of both ARES and Silah Report the new report lays out a framework for more detailed future work.
The Armalite AR-7 in Israeli Service
The story of the Armalite AR-7 and its adoption by the Israeli Defense Forces is one of obscurity and spans almost half a decade. From its inception as a civilian survival rifle in Southern California to Israel’s heavily modified military version, the Armalite AR-7 has filled the role of a reliable survival firearm well. And while not as well-known as the Beretta 9×19mm pistols, or the 5.45×39mm AK74SU carbines (commonly found in the Middle East), commercially it is one of the most prolific .22LR firearms the world has ever seen.
The Khyber Diaries: A Glimpse Into An ‘Antique’ Arms Shop
An often-nostalgic thing to do is reminisce of the arms shops in the days of old. Those well-stocked dealerships. They were once a lot like Aladdin’s cave with large arrays of plentiful, but now hard-to-find arms on display and for sale, at extremely affordable prices by today’s standard. Luckily, we can occasionally encounter some remnants of these days in Pakistan where an abundance of now-antiquated firearms are still to be found in the arms bazaars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within places like the infamous town of Darra Adamkhel and to a lesser degree, in those within and close to Peshawar city.
Gulf War 30: Captured Iraqi Small Arms of Desert Storm
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Gulf War. A conflict which saw a grand coalition of Western countries, Arab nations and Gulf states unite to liberate Kuwait from the grip of Saddam Hussein. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the small arms and light weapons captured by the coalition forces during the 100 hour ground campaign that saw allied forces sweep through Kuwait and into Iraq before a ceasefire was called on 28th February 1990.
Small Arms of the Iranian Movie: “Damascus Time”
Damascus Time or (به وقت شام), written and directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia and produced by Mohammad Khazai, is a 2018 Iranian film about a fictionalized hijacking of a humanitarian cargo aircraft by ISIS during the Second Palmyra Offensive in 2017 and the survival of its Iranian and Syrian crew. Filmed in both Iran and Syria, the film takes clear inspiration from American action staples such as Air Force One and the many cinematic depictions of the Global War on Terror. But in this film, expressions of American exceptionalism and sympathetic portrayals of their foreign policy are exchanged for Iranian ones. Like with many films, the firearms used within the film and how they are portrayed reveal certain subtexts around the film and how it portrays the civil war in Syria.
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.
Scarce Spanish STAR Submachine Gun In The Pak-Afghan Region
STAR, short for Star Bonifacio Echeverria, is a well known Spanish company which manufactured firearms for around 116 years, from about 1905 to 1997 when they closed up shop. The various firearm designs and platforms they manufactured, apart from some pistol designs, aren’t too common and don’t typically pop up in more out-of-the-way regions of the world. That being said, a small more unknown gem of theirs happened to end up in an arms dealership located in the infamous town of Darra Adam Khel in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, of all places.
The Beretta PX5 – Yes, You Heard Right
We’re all familiar with the somewhat intriguing Beretta PX4 9×19mm self-loading pistol but there is another Beretta on the market! Well, it may not actually be a genuine Beretta product or easily available at your local dealership but it certainly has the look and appeal of a Beretta firearm at the very least.