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.
Fog clings to a never-ending row of low-rise buildings down the length of a dusty road, it’s early, around eight o’clock on a cool April morning. The fog clears and voices breakthrough and you see the first glimpses of the large bazaar, sounds of shutters slamming open, doors being unlocked and people greeting each other as their day starts. The occasional chatter of gunfire can be heard as firearms are test fired nearby.
Darra Adam Khel. This bustling town is situated in modern-day Pakistan, a stone’s throw from the Pak-Afghan border. What makes it so special? You may ask and the answer lies within the myriad of myths and legends put out over the years.
This post originally appeared on The Firearm Blog in August of 2018,but has since been updated with some new content.
Every field has its own mysteries and mystifications. And if we are talking about the history of Soviet small arms, the biggest puzzle is the notorious AKMSU. If you look it up on Russian gun websites, you can find a lot of fascinating information, for example:
An often-misunderstood topic in regards to Darra-E / ‘Khyber’ AK’s, is the type or variation of receivers that are produced in the Pak-Afghan, FATA, tribal region. Particularly noted are a variation of milled receiver that are machined and fashioned in such a sense, they imitate a standard stamped receiver so well that at a glance you would not be able tell if it was a genuine stamped receiver or not.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of my friends and colleagues in Darra, nestled in the mountains of the Pak-Afghan borders tribal territories during a visit in April and May of 2019. I was fortunate enough to handle, film and test-fire a few of the firearms I encountered (and they urged me try out as many as I wanted) on my trip so this is the first of a few that are to come. I am sure that a lot of you have glimpsed images of this outstanding bit of engineering and creativity previously but this video is a closer look with a little more detail and background information in an easier to digest package, of course in English.
This post originally appeared on The Firearm Blog in March of 2018.
What does an average person know about the Pakistani weapons and the military-industrial complex? Nothing. Ordinary people are not interested in this kind of weird stuff. OK, so what does an average gun enthusiast know about Pakistani weapons? Probably not much either.
This guest post is written by Sikander Abbas, an avid reader, and supporter of Silah Report.
Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) is Pakistan’s largest defense industrial complex under the Ministry of Defence Production. Founded in 1951 by the government of Pakistan, POF produces and promotes a wide range of different types of infantry and special-purpose weapons, explosives, ammunition, mortars, rockets, and other military gear for Pakistan’s military.
Chambered in 7.62x51mm (NATO), the Azb DMR-MK1 is the new medium-range Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) and is developed by POF in 2014 which features a 20 inch cold hammer forged match grade bull barrel. The rifle was first introduced in the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar, more commonly referred to as IDEAS in December 2014.
The rifle was produced during the time of when there was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups in North Waziristan in 2014. The military operation was named Operation Zarb-e-Azb and according to members of the POF Production Board, the rifle is given the name Azb as a dedication to the soldiers who took part in the operation.
The sniper rifle is not a new design and it is basically a modification of Pakistani variant of H&K G3 assault rifle which is produced under license in POF. All parts are compatible and interchangeable with POF made G3A3 Rifle.
As said in the weapon description on POF website:
“With the changing nature of low-intensity operations, a strong need exists for a lightweight, accurate and semi-automatic hybrid sniper service rifle. Accordingly, a Designated Marksman’s Rifle (DMR) concept emerged. The POF DMR MK-1 meets the laid down conceptual requirements. It is manufactured from standard G3 parts and requires little deviation for manufacturing, maintenance and training. It can quickly and effectively engage fleeting multiple targets at range up to 600m.”
Technical Data:
Caliber 7.62 x 51 mm(NATO)
Operation Roller Locked Delayed Blow Back
Magazine 5/20 rounds Capacity
Overall Length 1055 mm (41.5 in)
Barrel length 508 mm (20 in) (4 Groove Rt. Hand Std.)
Weight (Empty Magazine) 4.94 Kg
Effective Range 600m
Accuracy 2 M0A at 100 Meter
Sights Telescopic sights
Butt Stock Plastic Fixed Butt Stock
Azb DMR is cost-effective, easy to produce, deploy and maintain and is compatible with a range of scopes, night vision and thermal optics.
Being a medium range, lightweight and with great accuracy, this DMR is ideal to cover incursion teams in close operations as well as in urban warfare.
Since its production, the rifle is used by military and other law enforcement agencies in Pakistan. The rifle also took part in several international defense exhibitions and is offered for exports.
Recent photographs of Pakistan’s Special Service Group have surfaced in which members of the group are conducting mountain warfare training in the snow. Of particular interest is of the group conducting their Salat, or daily prayers. The prayers themselves aren’t so much as interesting as is what the soldiers are doing with their weapons. The M4s and in another picture, Kalashnikov patterned self-loading rifles are stuck into the snow in front of the soldiers praying, butt first.
Although not really utilized today throughout the Islamic world, the practice dates back to the early Islamic period where one would place an object in front of them so other people would know not to walk in front of them during their salat. Specifically, it is called a Sutrah, or سترة in Arabic, meaning screen, or cover. There are some Hadiths on the topic but again it isn’t in wide use today.
Wikipedia lists two Hadiths in particular–
Sahl ibn Abu Hathmah narrated: إذا صلى أحدكم إلى سترة فليدن منها لا يقطع الشيطان عليه صلاته The Prophet said: When one of you prays facing a sutrah he should keep close to it, and not let the devil interrupt his prayer.
The Messenger of Allah said: لا تصل إلا إلى سترة، ولا تدع أحداً يمر بين يديك، فإن أبى فلتقاتله؛ فإن معه القرين Pray facing a sutrah, and let no one cross in front of you while praying. If he insists, then prevent him by force because he is accompanied by shaitan.
Another resource on the topic is listed here for those fluent in Arabic.
Glock pistols have had a cult following in Pakistan from the day they landed on our shores. Watch any english movie and you will definitely see a cop sporting one. When the Army bought Glocks in some numbers, Glocks were unofficially declared as the world’s best handguns, in Pakistan. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that no pistol has had a loyal following in Pakistan like the Glock and that Glocks have been highly overrated in Pakistan. That alone explains why a Glock 17 or 19 for instance which costs no more than $ 600 in the United States would sell for $ 2500 to $ 3500 depending on the demand and supply. And I have seen them selling for even more depending on the level of impatience of the buyer. And at one time I have also seen an original Glock 17 (gold plated) on sale for $ 5000 only.
As you may know, Darra Adam Khel is a town in Pakistan, which is known for domestic arms manufacturing. Information concerning the firearms made in this region is normally very scarce. However, there is a tendency of local shops to start using the internet as a tool for promotion. When doing a research for another article, I came across a facebook page of a Darra Adam Khel Company company called AJWA Arms Company.
Among many firearms posted on their page, there are several quite interesting ones which we’ll take a look at in this article.
The gun shown in the top image of this article is a Russian PPSh-41 with a stock adapter made to accept a pistol grip and a side folding stock borrowed from an AK rifle. AKs with such stocks have been made in Romania, Poland and East Germany. Another pistol grip is attached to the barrel jacket slots of the PPSh-41.
Below are more images from AJWA Arms Company Facebook page depicting some of their most interesting firearms (in no particular order).
We’ll keep following these companies and in case if they publish something interesting from the small arms perspective, we’ll report it to our readers.