On December 20, 2021, the US Navy’s 5th Fleet intercepted a stateless dhow in the North Arabian Sea carrying arms and ammunition. This was the third interception made by the 5th Fleet during 2021, of dhow carrying SALW towards Yemen with its origin likely being Iran. Notably, this is the first instance of ammunition being found by the 5th Fleet this year.
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The Kalashnikovs of Saudi Forces in Yemen – Part 1
The Saudi military’s various branches utilize a wide variety of small arms, but among those deployed in and along the border with Yemen, derivatives of the Kalashnikov or AK-pattern self-loading rifle are surprisingly some of the most common. This article will explore the different varieties of AK-pattern rifles in use with Saudi forces and how they are used. This study draws its data and sources largely from an extensive private image collection provided to Silah Report of open-source social media photos and videos taken by soldiers of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Saudi National Guard, and the Saudi Border Guard and is thus able to paint a uniquely representative picture of the weapons they use. Indeed, the data provided showed that Kalashnikov derivatives make up well over half of the assault rifles in the dataset, far outpacing the presence of the Saudis’ signature G36, G3, and AUG self-loading rifles.