N.R. Jenzen-Jones On 17 March 2016, the Islamic State displayed a range of equipment it claimed to have recovered from “a Russian military advisor” killed during fighting near Palmyra. The nature of the equipment recovered indicates that the fighter was likely a Russian special operations forces (SOF) EOD operator. Amongst the equipment recovered was an MIB type
Islamic State (IS)-linked ‘news agency’ A’maq has reported on 17 March 2016, via their official account on the messaging app Telegram, on the killing of “a Russian military advisor” during skirmishes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and IS near Palmyra, in the Homs Governorate of Syria. A video shared by IS shows the deceased combatant alongside a selection of his
Jonathan Ferguson & N.R. Jenzen-Jones ARES recently reported on the presence of the uncommon North Korean Type 73 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The Chinese Type 67 is another GPMG which is not commonly documented in conflict or post-conflict zones. Images posted to the personal Facebook pages of Syrian opposition fighters
Ali Richter Update 160328: Further evidence of the use of the Type 73 GPMG in Yemen can be seen here. The North Korean Type 73 GPMG has been previously documented in Iraq and Syria, and recently observed in Yemen. Images from Iraq show the Type 73 primarily in the hands of Iraqi Shi’a militias, particularly Badr Brigade
Galen Wright Iraq kicked off the 5th Defense, Security, & Aviation Fair in Baghdad this Sunday, with participating representatives from 108 countries, perhaps the most notable of which was Iran. According to a video issued by Iran’s state broadcasting company (IRIB), Tehran is now actively marketing a new top-attack version of its Toophan (‘typhoon’) anti-tank
ARES is proud to announce the release of the fifth publication in our Research Report series, entitled “A Tale of Two Rifles: The proliferation of F2000 and AK-103 self-loading rifles exported to Libya in 2004 – 2009“. This research report examines the proliferation of Belgian FN Herstal F2000 and Russian IZHMASH (now Kalashnikov Concern) AK-103-2 self-loading rifles within
Yuri Lyamin with N.R. Jenzen-Jones Images posted to Facebook and Twitter in mid-to-late February 2016 show the presence of PTAB-1M anti-tank submunitions and the RBK-500 PTAB-1M air-delivered cargo munition (cluster bomb) in the al-Ghanto area of the Homs governorate of Syria. The remnants of the bomb’s tail and casing indicate it is an RBK-500 (Razovaya Bombovaya
Improguns with N.R. Jenzen-Jones An attack on Israel Border Police (מִשְׁמַר הַגְּבוּל; Mishmar HaGvul) officers at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate on 3 February 2016 left one policewoman dead from stab wounds and another injured from gunfire. At least two of the three weapons recovered appear to be homemade submachine guns of a type commonly seized by
Ali Richter A video uploaded to YouTube on 26 February 2016 appears to show fighters from the Syrian armed opposition group known as Division 13 operating a Serbian M69A 82 mm mortar near Ayn Daqnah, north of Aleppo. The video title claims the fighters were targeting Kurdish PKK positions. The M69A mortar, and the 81 mm M69B
N.R. Jenzen-Jones On 21 February 2016, the Abkhazian Network News Agency (ANNA News) and Frontinfo posted some footage seemingly filmed near Nabi Younes in Latakia Governorate, Syria. Amongst the footage is a fired cartridge case from a 40 × 46SR mm high explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) round produced in Bulgaria. The Arsenal 40×46 RLV-HEF round is of the 40 ×
