US takes aim at Afghan army’s Russian rifles

[Hindustani78]

SYED SALAHUDDIN | Published — Saturday 3 March 2018
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1258436/world

KABUL: US moves to replace the Kalashnikov — the infamous Russian assault rifle commonly used by Afghan security forces — with US-made weaponry are well advanced, defense officials told Arab News.

The US banned the Russian weapon six years ago, replacing it with M4 and M16 rifles, in a bid to shift the Afghan army’s main weaponry from a Russian to an American system.

The Afghan army rarely uses Kalashnikovs in combat with the militants. Except for a few Indian-made helicopters, the Afghan army is fully equipped with US and NATO weapons, defense officials said.

“The process has begun. Some have been replaced, but we will still need them (Kalashnikovs) until given new guns. We still use both Russian and US weapons,” chief interior ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said.

There are no official figures on the number of Kalashnikovs used by Afghan police. Former army generals, who served during the country’s occupation by the former Soviet Union, say several hundred thousand Russian rifles have been stored, but a large number are still in use in the country.

Gen. Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, a former deputy interior minister, said replacement of the Kalashnikov and other Russian-made weapons had two benefits.

“Since America provides logistics and arms to Afghanistan, it will be easier for it to repair the US-made weapons. From another perspective, this can also be a part of the US rivalry (with Russia), because the US seeks a long-term presence here and repairing of US weapons can be lucrative for American firms.”


The sturdy Kalashnikov is said to be favored by Russian and Chinese backed militaries which rely on various types of the same rifle, but copied and produced in other parts of the world.

The Kalashnikov is more reliable than the US-made M4 and M16 and does not rust easily, experts say.

A number of security force personnel have complained about the effectiveness of the Ak-47 rifle.

“The Kalashnikov is a simple but solid weapon. It requires less time and resources to mend and even if you drop it in mud, it works fine afterwards,” said retired general Attiqullah Amarkhail.

Since 2001, US and other allied countries have spent tens of billions of dollars rebuilding the Afghan security forces, which stand over 250,000.

Afghanistan forces are having Russian-made tanks and other heavy weapons repaired in India, which also uses the same arsenal, leaving a large number of tanks and heavy weapons idle.

*************

Defense ministry handed over more than 10,000 rifles, which it received as a gift from Moscow several years ago, to the interior ministry.


He said “the US wants to control Afghanistan’s foreign and domestic policy forever,” which led it to replace the Russian weapon system in order to control the Afghan forces.

 

[Hamza913]

The Kalashnikov is easier to maintain, cheaper, and using it prevents the US from having a monopoly over the Afghan military's weapons market. I think the Afghans would do better to stick with it rather than the M-4 or M-16.

In my opinion, they should also try and buy more non-NATO weaponry. It would be a mistake to become too reliant on Uncle Sam.

 

[Sine Nomine]

@DESERT FIGHTER Looks like prices of M4 & M16 are going to fall in Pakistan very soon

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

@DESERT FIGHTER Looks like prices of M4 & M16 are going to fall in Pakistan very soon

M-4 = 9-1.3 million

Hope you are right bro.

@DESERT FIGHTER Looks like prices of M4 & M16 are going to fall in Pakistan very soon

US occupation made weapons expensive AF!

 

[Torch_v2.0]

US has very bad 'Russian' Hysteria

 

[Thorough Pro]

Good news.
Prices of US made M$'s in Pakistan black market will go down, thanks to Afghan Army's love for Pak Rupees.

SYED SALAHUDDIN | Published — Saturday 3 March 2018
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1258436/world

KABUL: US moves to replace the Kalashnikov — the infamous Russian assault rifle commonly used by Afghan security forces — with US-made weaponry are well advanced, defense officials told Arab News.

The US banned the Russian weapon six years ago, replacing it with M4 and M16 rifles, in a bid to shift the Afghan army’s main weaponry from a Russian to an American system.

The Afghan army rarely uses Kalashnikovs in combat with the militants. Except for a few Indian-made helicopters, the Afghan army is fully equipped with US and NATO weapons, defense officials said.

“The process has begun. Some have been replaced, but we will still need them (Kalashnikovs) until given new guns. We still use both Russian and US weapons,” chief interior ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said.

There are no official figures on the number of Kalashnikovs used by Afghan police. Former army generals, who served during the country’s occupation by the former Soviet Union, say several hundred thousand Russian rifles have been stored, but a large number are still in use in the country.

Gen. Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, a former deputy interior minister, said replacement of the Kalashnikov and other Russian-made weapons had two benefits.

“Since America provides logistics and arms to Afghanistan, it will be easier for it to repair the US-made weapons. From another perspective, this can also be a part of the US rivalry (with Russia), because the US seeks a long-term presence here and repairing of US weapons can be lucrative for American firms.”


The sturdy Kalashnikov is said to be favored by Russian and Chinese backed militaries which rely on various types of the same rifle, but copied and produced in other parts of the world.

The Kalashnikov is more reliable than the US-made M4 and M16 and does not rust easily, experts say.

A number of security force personnel have complained about the effectiveness of the Ak-47 rifle.

“The Kalashnikov is a simple but solid weapon. It requires less time and resources to mend and even if you drop it in mud, it works fine afterwards,” said retired general Attiqullah Amarkhail.

Since 2001, US and other allied countries have spent tens of billions of dollars rebuilding the Afghan security forces, which stand over 250,000.

Afghanistan forces are having Russian-made tanks and other heavy weapons repaired in India, which also uses the same arsenal, leaving a large number of tanks and heavy weapons idle.

*************

Defense ministry handed over more than 10,000 rifles, which it received as a gift from Moscow several years ago, to the interior ministry.


He said “the US wants to control Afghanistan’s foreign and domestic policy forever,” which led it to replace the Russian weapon system in order to control the Afghan forces.

 

[Sine Nomine]

M-4 = 9-1.3 million

Hope you are right bro.


US occupation made weapons expensive AF!

Black market would bring it down.Sooner or later flow from Afghanistan would start or Pakistani Gunsmiths would copy it including Serial Number
Colt or FN logo and other Markings

 

[ziaulislam]

The Kalashnikov is easier to maintain, and using it prevents the US from having a monopoly over the Afghan military's weapons market. I think the Afghans would do better to stick with it rather than the M-4 or M-16.

but is far less accurate

 

[Path-Finder]

This is a recycled topic which was discussed last year!

 

[Kompromat]

I've been waiting for this.

 

[Qutb-ud-din Aybak]

SYED SALAHUDDIN | Published — Saturday 3 March 2018
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1258436/world

KABUL: US moves to replace the Kalashnikov — the infamous Russian assault rifle commonly used by Afghan security forces — with US-made weaponry are well advanced, defense officials told Arab News.

The US banned the Russian weapon six years ago, replacing it with M4 and M16 rifles, in a bid to shift the Afghan army’s main weaponry from a Russian to an American system.

The Afghan army rarely uses Kalashnikovs in combat with the militants. Except for a few Indian-made helicopters, the Afghan army is fully equipped with US and NATO weapons, defense officials said.

“The process has begun. Some have been replaced, but we will still need them (Kalashnikovs) until given new guns. We still use both Russian and US weapons,” chief interior ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said.

There are no official figures on the number of Kalashnikovs used by Afghan police. Former army generals, who served during the country’s occupation by the former Soviet Union, say several hundred thousand Russian rifles have been stored, but a large number are still in use in the country.

Gen. Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, a former deputy interior minister, said replacement of the Kalashnikov and other Russian-made weapons had two benefits.

“Since America provides logistics and arms to Afghanistan, it will be easier for it to repair the US-made weapons. From another perspective, this can also be a part of the US rivalry (with Russia), because the US seeks a long-term presence here and repairing of US weapons can be lucrative for American firms.”


The sturdy Kalashnikov is said to be favored by Russian and Chinese backed militaries which rely on various types of the same rifle, but copied and produced in other parts of the world.

The Kalashnikov is more reliable than the US-made M4 and M16 and does not rust easily, experts say.

A number of security force personnel have complained about the effectiveness of the Ak-47 rifle.

“The Kalashnikov is a simple but solid weapon. It requires less time and resources to mend and even if you drop it in mud, it works fine afterwards,” said retired general Attiqullah Amarkhail.

Since 2001, US and other allied countries have spent tens of billions of dollars rebuilding the Afghan security forces, which stand over 250,000.

Afghanistan forces are having Russian-made tanks and other heavy weapons repaired in India, which also uses the same arsenal, leaving a large number of tanks and heavy weapons idle.

*************

Defense ministry handed over more than 10,000 rifles, which it received as a gift from Moscow several years ago, to the interior ministry.


He said “the US wants to control Afghanistan’s foreign and domestic policy forever,” which led it to replace the Russian weapon system in order to control the Afghan forces.

Kalashnikov stored means will be provided to proxies somewhere.
US is again planning dirty game.

 

[Hindustani78]

An Afghan boy jumps off the turret of a tank on a hilltop on the the outskirts of Kabul, Sunday, March, 4, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

KABUL: The Afghan government has established a new force on the lines of local militia to protect the areas that the army secures from insurgents, officials said on Sunday.

The local militia will be 360,000-strong, armed with US-made M4 and M16 guns, and will be mostly deployed in the eastern and northwestern regions of the country where the insurgents have stepped up their attacks in recent months, the defense ministry officials said.

“The force comprises volunteers who have had experience in security forces because they will have more acquaintance with the terrain and the people,” General Mohammad Radmanesh, a spokesman for the defense ministry which leads the force, told Arab News.

The force will undergo another biometric test and will be absorbed after local representatives from their communities guarantee the volunteers loyalty toward the establishment, he said.

Keeping the troops stationed in areas secured from the insurgents has been a big challenge for the Afghan security forces, given the vast terrain of Afghanistan and the robustness of the insurgency force.

“It is like forming a militia that will act independently and can further damage the government’s reputation. This is not in the interest of the country. We have rejected this idea,” she told Arab News.

Recalling the formation of a similar militia force in various parts of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of the country, she said the force later rebelled against the then communist regime and played a key role in its collapse.

The formation of a regional force under the command of the defense ministry comes amid public complaints of alleged corruption and abuse exhibited by the local police force, formed more than eight years ago in Afghanistan.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Why isnt the Afghan govt deciding which rifle to use? Why is US deciding their rifle? Any Afghan can answer this question?

 

[Hindustani78]

The US cannot expect Afghanistan to abruptly stop using Indian arms and instead needs a glide path to increase defence trade with New Delhi, a top American commander has told lawmakers.

India is “a key partner and a great strategic opportunity” for the US, Admiral Harry Harris told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.

“Seventy per cent of their military hardware is Indian in origin. You can’t expect India to go cold turkey on that,” Harris told the lawmakers.

“I think we ought to look at ways to have a glide path, so that we can continue to trade in arms within India,” he said.

Harris was responding to a question from senator Tom Cotton who asked about the impact of the recent sanctions legislation (CAATSA) Congress passed, designed primarily with Russia in mind, and specifically countries that continue to use Russian military hardware and systems.

Afghanistan, a major consumer of Indian arms, is one of the countries that would be impacted by such a legislation.

“I supported that legislation. I still do. But I do have some concerns about potential unintended consequences among countries that, for various historical reasons, still have Russian hardware and it’d be hard to avoid Russian hardware,” Senator Cotton said.

Harris expressed hope to achieve some relief for the rigidity that’s in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) legislation.

Cotton then referred to a classified letter written by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in which he is seeking exemptions for a number of countries. Afghanistan/Iraq are believed to be one of those countries for which Mattis has sought exemptions.

“I assume Secretary Mattis’ point in this classified letter is, do you have a country like India that’s a close ally, and growing ever closer, but for historical reasons going back decades, they just rely on a lot of equipment, and would really impair them and therefore, our relationship with them to try to ask them to go cold turkey immediately,” Cotton said.

“You are correct,” Harris said.