Month: April 2016

Boko Haram with UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher in Nigeria

ARES Team On 24 April, Boko Haram (the Nigerian affiliate of the Islamic State) released information and images relating to an ambush against a component from the Nigerian Army’s 155 Task Force. Among the captured weapons and equipment is a UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher manufactured by Leninska Kuznya of Ukraine. The UAG-40 is a blowback

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Hungarian Danuvia K1 for sale in Libya via social media

Alex Larkin ARES recently announced our ongoing data collection and analysis pertaining to the illicit sale of arms via social media and communications platforms in conflict and post-conflict zones. From time to time, we will be featuring items of interest uncovered during our research, here on The Hoplite. A rare Hungarian Danuvia K1 (Kucher Model 1)

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Small arms & light weapons traded via social media platforms in Libya

Armament Research Services (ARES) has produced significant original research examining the online trade in small arms and light weapons within Libya. The project outputs rely on a database, developed by ARES, which contains information about both groups and individual traders active on popular social media and communication platforms.The project will consist of two published reports, released under Small

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Minimi type light machine gun with pro-Assad group in Syria

Jonathan Ferguson Images posted to personal Facebook pages of members of the Syrian pro-government Suqur al-Sahara (‘Desert Falcons’) non-state armed group prominently feature fighters posing with the Belgian-made FN ‘Minimi’ 5.56 x 45 mm light machine gun (LMG). Suqur al-Sahara has been described as an “elite” formation, primarily consisting of former soldiers. The weapon in

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