The VHS-2 bullpup self-loading rifle manufactured by Croatia’s HS Produkt became one of the most frequently seen rifles during the Iraqi counter-offensives against ISIS during 2015-17. The rifle regularly appeared in news reports and social media posts and became somewhat synonymous with the fighting for Fallujah and Mosul.
Iraq
The Baghdad (Simonov-Iraqi): Iraq’s First Mass-Produced Service Rifle?
In a video for TFBtv Miles tackles the mysterious ‘Baghdad’ 7.62×39mm chambered self-loading rifle – the Rasheed derivative of unclear origins that appears to have been produced from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Our understanding of the ‘Baghdad Rifle’ is still evolving.
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.
Guns and Roses – The Bulgarian AK Connection
In the late 1940s and 1950s, the Cold War was well underway. The Western powers had sponsored the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and formed NATO. In response, the Soviets initiated several countermoves such as the creation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the formation of the Warsaw Pact which bound the Soviet satellite states of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania into a mutual defense agreement.
Miles Vining & Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons Talk Iraqi Tabuk AK Rifles
Miles joined Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons to discuss the series of domestically-produced Iraqi Kalashnikovs known as Tabuks. Largely based on the Yugoslav M70 they were produced from the 1980s up to the Coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003. Both rifles are provided by Two River Arms and like the original rifles both are chambered in 7.62×39mm. Iraq’s Al-Qadisiyah manufacturing facility produced these weapons as well as a less well known version of the 7.62×54mmR SVD. Miles and Ian do some shooting with the rifles, discus the Tabuks’ origins and share their thoughts on the rifles and their capabilities.
‘Delta Defence Group’ Part Three: The “Glock”
This is the third part of a series of articles about weapons of the “Delta Defence Group”, of which the first two parts were published in late 2019 and early 2020. The first part about the pistol can be found here, and the second part about the rifle can be found here. In this article we will examining the Delta Defence Group ‘Glock’ pistol.
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.
The Work of Iraqi Firearms Engraver Noori Sabeh
Noori Sabeh (نوري النقاش) is a professional engraver from Iraq who has made a presence on social media with some excellent engraving work, considering his lack of access to materials and tools otherwise very prevalent in Europe and North America. The majority of his work is focused on traditional wood and metal engraving of various bolt action rifles, shotguns, and handguns that customers send in. He originally started out in the jewellery business and has been engraving for several decades.
Podcast V27: Gunning in Kurdistan, Kobra Tactical Training
Welcome to the 27th episode of the Silah Report Podcast! We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Hamed, a Kurdish firearm instructor and contractor situated in Erbil. We discussed with him his history as a Kurdish contractor, the environment in Erbil for private security contractors and his project, Kobra Tactical. Through his project, he aims to give Kurdish security forces and shooters a chance to further their small arms marksmanship. He also explained to us the “cultural mindset” of many Kurds and their “resistance to modernization/adoption of better combat tactics”.