United States,Afghanistan
US Rifle Sights Inscribed with 'Bible Codes' for War in Afghanistan
al Jazeera
22 January 2010
US-made rifles inscribed with Bible codes are being used by US forces and Afghans to fight the Taliban. The weapons come from Trijicon, a manufacturer based in Wixom, Michigan, that supplies the US military. The company's now deceased founder, Glyn Bandon, started the practice which continues today. David Chater, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the Afghan capital Kabul, said: "It is a rallying cry for the Taliban. It gives... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Michigan Firm to Remove 'Bible Code' from Weapon Sold to Kill Muslims
New York Times
21 January 2010
Bowing to Pentagon concerns and an international outcry, a Michigan arms company said Thursday that it would immediately stop embossing references to New Testament Scriptures on rifle sights it sells the military. The company, Trijicon Inc., has multimillion-dollar contracts with the Pentagon for advanced telescopic sights that are widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trijicon also said it would provide the Pentagon with 100 free... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghan Man Guns Down 16 Family Members Over Property Dispute
Xinhua
27 September 2009
KABUL -- In a rare incident, a man in Ghazni province south of Afghanistan shot dead 16 members of his family and self over property dispute, provincial police chief said Sunday. "Mohammad Zaman, son of Qari Abdul Hakim, sprayed bullets and killed 16 members of his family including his father and later shot himself dead Saturday night," Khialbaz Shirzoi told Xinhua. Only his mother and his child who were not present at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, United States, Afghanistan
Flood of Stolen US Assault Rifles, Handguns Arms Taliban in Pakistan
Islam Online (Qatar)
9 September 2009
PESHAWAR -- Sophisticated US-made arms, either snatched from foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan, or sold out by cash-strapped Afghan soldiers, have flooded the arms markets in Pakistan's northern tribal belt and are in high demand too. "We have various kinds of US-made arms, which we procure from Afghan arms smugglers," an arms dealer from the town of Darra Adamkhel in Pakistan's western frontier province (NWFP) told IslamOnline.net.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
$600 for a Kalashnikov: A Sign of Bloodshed to Come in Afghanistan
Independent (UK)
2 September 2009
KABUL -- The price of Kalashnikovs has doubled in Afghanistan. For a country awash with arms, the fact that the weapons are now fetching $600 apiece is a cause of some surprise, but a surge of demand is to blame for the increase, with a steady stream of weapons said to be heading for the north. This is the Tajik constituency of Abdullah Abdullah, the presidential candidate who claims the election is being stolen by the incumbent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Taliban Moving from AK-47 to AK-74 to Penetrate NATO Body Armour?
Wired (USA), Web page
2 September 2009
One way of finding out what sort of weapons the Taliban favor is to go the usual military route: examine captured arsenals and look for shell casings after a firefight. Or you could just go and talk to the man who apparently sells them their weapons, as Guardian reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad recently did. The results were highly instructive. Abdul-Ahab talked to a man named Hekmat, formerly a shopkeeper but now a wealthy smuggler.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Gun Runners, Drug Traffickers Continue to Fuel War in Afghanistan
Guardian (UK)
18 August 2009
Hekmat the smuggler and I sat among a group of men in a wood-walled hotel room in Ishkashim, a town in Badakh-shan province in the far north of Afghanistan. The room's balcony took in a breathtaking view of the river Amu, which shimmered in the sunlight beneath the Pamir mountains. The Amu, also known as the Oxus, is the greatest river in central Asia, and for several hundred miles its upper reaches mark the border between... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Afghanistan
British Troops Fire 12 Million Bullets in Three Years in Afghanistan
Telegraph (UK)
10 August 2009
Ammunition is being discharged at a rate of more than 12,000 rounds every day, illustrating the severity of the fighting in which British forces are engaged The Ministry of Defence figures emerged as it was announced that another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the country's death toll there to 196. The solider, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, died in an explosive attack on his patrol near... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan
British Troops Smuggle Guns from Iraq, Afghanistan to Europe, UK
Birmingham Post (UK)
3 August 2009
British troops are smuggling guns and drugs into the UK and Europe and selling them on to criminal gangs, a former soldier from the Midlands has claimed. The ex-serviceman said it was "megaeasy" to bring back weapons from Iraq and Afghanistan and said some soldiers had become adept at hiding weapons and shipping them back from the frontline. Handguns are brought back inside field radios and tool boxes -- while grenades... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, Canada
Afghan Security Guards Secretly Armed with Canadian Assault Rifles
Canadian Press
17 June 2009
OTTAWA -- Canada's military secretly armed Afghan civilians hired as security guards at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, federal documents show. The unidentified "guard force" was also provided with uniforms so they would not be "mistaken for Canadian soldiers or for that matter members of the Afghan National Army," says a briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. All Canadian... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States
Record Assault Weapon Exports from Serbia Fuel US, Iraq, Afghan Wars
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Blic Daily
4 June 2009
Last year Serbia's export of weapons and military equipment reached a record high at 400m euros, with 236m dollars for Iraq. This year export deals are worth more than 500m euros. Five out of six factories of the military industry have sold out their capacities completely for this year. Zastava Arms alone plans to export 30m dollars in 2009, which is 30 per cent more than this year. Manager Rade Gromovic told Blic that the factory... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan, United States
Guns Supplied by US, Smuggled to Pakistan More Deadly Than Nukes
News International (Karachi), Editorial
31 May 2009
The deconstruction of a briefing given by Major General Athar Abbas and its subsequent reporting in the media bears close study. The briefing was interesting in that for the first time it made reference to four tunnels constructed by the Taliban in Peochar, and the contents thereof. The Taliban have been busy looting not just the UN convoys but goods intended for the relief of IDPs as well. They had also collected pre-packed military rations... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Contractors say Blackwater Supplied Guns Forbidden in Afghanistan
Associated Press
21 May 2009
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- The security firm formerly known as Blackwater armed some of its workers in Afghanistan despite U.S. military documents that prohibited them from carrying guns, said two former contractors who were fired after they were involved in a fatal shooting in the country. Justin Cannon and Steven McClain said Thursday that they frequently asked superiors why the company distributed the AK-47 assault rifles without... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United States
Guns, Ammunition Sent by US Seem to Be Falling Into Taliban Hands
New York Times
20 May 2009
KABUL -- Insurgents in Afghanistan, fighting from some of the poorest and most remote regions on earth, have managed for years to maintain an intensive guerrilla war against materially superior American and Afghan forces. Arms and ordnance collected from dead insurgents hint at one possible reason: Of 30 rifle magazines recently taken from insurgents' corpses, at least 17 contained cartridges, or rounds, identical to ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United States
US Contractors Held in Afghanistan After Fatal Shooting, Gun Law Breach
Associated Press
20 May 2009
KABUL -- Four U.S. contractors for the company formerly known as Blackwater were not authorized to carry weapons when they were involved in a deadly shooting in Afghanistan this month, the U.S. military said Tuesday. The men -- accused of opening fire on a vehicle in the capital on May 5 -- have charged that their employer, now called Xe, issued them guns in breech of the company's contract with the military. One Afghan was killed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Croatia, United States, Afghanistan
US Buys Another 19,000 Croatian AK-47s Said Destined for Afghanistan
Javno.com / Vecerni List (Zagreb)
5 April 2009
ZAGREB -- Croatia is selling 19,000 AK-47 assault rifles to the United States. The deal has been made, only the price has not been set yet, the Vecernji list daily reported. It is estimated that the price of the weapons could be at least two billion euros, depending on the state of the rifle and the probably lower price due to good partnership relations between Croatia and the United States. The American reasons for making... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan Arming Village Vigilantes with Flood of Guns
Christian Science Monitor
4 March 2009
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- In the town of Budaber, six miles from Peshawar's city center, Daud Khan makes sure his Kalashnikov is loaded before stepping into the dark street. As he walks out, seven young men join him, all armed. Mr. Khan is a member of the nighttime civilian patrols that guard the streets and escort residents home. They usually work from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., the peak time for bomb attacks, a local says. Do-it-yourself... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan
Pakistan Fuels Afghan Border Conflict, Gives 30,000 More Guns to Civilians
Associated Press
23 February 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Authorities in a Pakistani border province plan to arm villagers with 30,000 rifles and set up an elite police unit to protect a region increasingly besieged by Taliban and al Qaeda militants, an official said Sunday. Stiffer action in the North West Frontier Province could help offset American concern that a peace deal being negotiated in the Swat valley, a Taliban stronghold in the province, could create... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
21yr-old US Gun Dealer Got $300m Pentagon Arms Contract, Handcuffs
Details / GQ (USA)
18 February 2009
On the afternoon of May 16, 2007, an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane rumbled down the tarmac at Burgas Airport in eastern Bulgaria, its hold packed with 110,000 grenades bound for Kabul, Afghanistan. The aircraft lifted off, climbed above the rolling farmlands to the west and the Black Sea to the east, and headed toward war. Half a world away, on the first floor of a sun-dappled office building amid the palm trees of Miami Beach, Florida,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
377,000 'Lost' Military Weapons Could Leak to Taliban, Says US GAO
Washington Post
12 February 2009
Tens of thousands of assault rifles and other firearms in Afghanistan are at risk of being stolen because U.S. officials have lost track of them, according to a congressionally ordered audit that warns that some weapons may already be in Taliban hands. The audit by the Government Accountability Office found that inventory controls were lacking for more than a third of the 242,000 light weapons donated to Afghan forces by the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
CNN's Wolf Blitzer 'Wow' Story: US Loses 87,000 Weapons in Afghan War
CNN / Situation Room, Transcript
12 February 2009
WOLF BLITZER: Apparently, the United States military has lost track of thousands of weapons in Afghanistan -- weapons that potentially could be in the hands of Taliban forces or al Qaeda. Let's go to our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence. He's working this story for us. Wow, Chris, what's going on? CHRIS LAWRENCE: Well, Wolf, it's more than thousands -- tens of thousands of American weapons are missing and they may... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
One-third of US Guns Issued in Afghanistan Now 'Missing,' Say Officials
CNN
12 February 2009
WASHINGTON -- More than one-third of all weapons the United States has procured for Afghanistan's government are missing, according to a government report released Thursday. The U.S. military failed to "maintain complete inventory records for an estimated 87,000 weapons -- or about 36 percent -- of the 242,000 weapons that the United States procured and shipped to Afghanistan from December 2004 through June 2008," a U.S. Government... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Third-of-a-Million Military Weapons 'At Serious Risk of Theft' by Taliban
Associated Press
11 February 2009
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has been shoveling weapons into the hands of Afghan troops but doesn't have a firm system in place or enough personnel to ensure they don't wind up in the hands of Taliban fighters, according to an independent study. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, comes as Kabul recovers from a devastating attack Wednesday by heavily armed militants. The fighters stormed three government buildings of the heavily... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Despite Years of Bad Results, US Pours More AK-47s Into Afghan Villages
Associated Press
4 February 2009
MAIDAN SHAHR, Afghanistan -- A U.S.-backed plan to create militias and give them guns to fight the Taliban is drawing criticism from local authorities in areas where the first units are being rolled out, raising questions as to whether the effort can succeed in Afghanistan. The militias have been compared to the U.S.-fostered Awakening Councils in Iraq, which have often been credited with reducing violence there, and are similar... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan, China, Iraq
US Repays Millions to Indicted Miami-Albania-Iraq-China Ammo Dealer
New Times (Florida)
3 February 2009
On March 15, 2008, a fireball shot into the midday sky over Albania's capital of Tirana. The blast echoed 100 miles away in Macedonia and Kosovo. Its force was comparable to that of a small nuclear weapon. But this wasn't atomic. It was an accident at an arms depot, where poor villagers had been hired to handle old ammunition and artillery shells. The explosion killed up to 26 people and injured hundreds. The village of Gerdec was obliterated.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China
US Govt Refunds Millions to Ammunition Dealer Charged with Fraud
Miami Herald
26 January 2009
A Miami Beach munitions dealer accused of defrauding the federal government is $4.2 million richer. Actually, the money already belonged to 23-year-old Efraim Diveroli. But the government froze it after Diveroli, his business, AEY Inc., and three co-workers were indicted last summer on charges of selling banned Chinese-made machine-gun rounds to the U.S. Army to supply allied forces in Afghanistan. Prosecutors recently... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghans Rediscover the Lee-Enfield
Strategy Page (USA), Web Page
22 January 2009
Afghan traditionalists are changing the way the Taliban fight. This can be seen by the increase in the use of sniping by the Taliban. In the last year, NATO units in southern Afghanistan estimate there has been a 25 percent increase in sniping incidents. This is not seen as a major danger. NATO troops wear protective bests and helmets that can stop bullets fired at long range, making it very frustrating for the Taliban shooters trying to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Kabul Daily Urges Afghan Government Not to Distribute Guns to Civilians
Daily Afghanistan (Kabul), Editorial
6 January 2009
A source in the Defence Ministry has been quoted as saying that the national army will be equipped with light and modern US weapons. Officers of the ministry have reported that soldiers of Army Corps No 205 of Kandahar have been equipped with M-16 weapons, and other army corps of the National Defence Ministry will reportedly be equipped with similar weapons in the near future. Speaking in this respect, the Defence Ministry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bulgaria, Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan
Bulgaria, 7 Other Nations Make 'Unlicensed, Illegal' AK-47s, Export to Iraq
FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria) / Praim-TASS
20 November 2008
MOSCOW -- 7-8 countries in the world are currently dealing with unlicensed production of machine guns "Kalashnikov", Nikolay Dimidyuk from Rosoboronexport said, cited by Praim-TASS. According to his evaluation there was a total nuisance in the world regarding the production of 'false' Kalashnikov guns, in particular in Bulgaria. 'I will not mention other countries, so as not to offend them. The Americans allowed Bulgaria... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Russia
Wide Range of Guns, Weapons Readily Accessible to Taleban Fighters
BBC News
18 September 2008
AFGHANISTAN -- "We sometimes seize arms and ammunition," said a Taleban commander in south-eastern Afghanistan. "We're using whatever weapons are left over from Russian times and we buy from different sources -- Pakistan, Iran, Russia -- wherever we can get them." I met the Taleban commander, a veteran of 30 years of war, in a safe house -- one of the typical mud-built, fortress-like houses of the south-east where a six-metre (six-yard)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Afghanistan, Iraq
Lax Management by US, UK, Italy Armed al-Qaida, Says Amnesty Report
Middle East Times (Cairo) / UPI
17 September 2008
WASHINGTON -- Weak oversight of arms deals by the United States, England and Italy resulted in the illicit arming of al-Qaida, a new report by Amnesty International says. The international non-governmental organization says that despite new measures implemented to regulate arms deals, thousands of weapons have ended up in the hands of al-Qaida militants operating in Iraq, Amnesty International reported. The report, titled... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China, Albania
Miami Gun Dealer, 21, Caught in US$300 Million Pentagon Ammo Scam
New Zealand Herald
16 August 2008
When historians assess the Bush Administration's scandals, there is one that -- even by the era's exacting standards -- will amaze with its sheer chutzpah. The figure in the spotlight is Efraim Diveroli, 22. His Miami-Dade Police Department mug shot depicts a rather dazed, tussle-haired youth who looks like he might have spent a night clubbing. Instead, as the beneficiary of a US$298 million ($426 million) United States Army contract,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Guns Threaten Development, Gender Equity, Security in Afghanistan
IRIN (UN News), Web Page
25 July 2008
The worsening security situation in Afghanistan is reducing the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities, according to a report by IRIN. Some 1.5 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance to respond to a severe drought. The French agency Action Contre la Faim (ACF) suspended operations in Afghanistan after 2 staff were kidnapped on 18 July. ACF has 250 staff in the country, and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, Afghanistan, United Nations, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia
Iraq, Afghan Wars, Exports from Bosnia, Albania Hurt Bid to Destroy Guns
Agence France Presse
15 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are undermining efforts to destroy surplus weapons by creating new markets for countries to sell their unwanted firearms, according to a survey. Although the world is witnessing "the largest systematic destruction of military small arms and light weapons since the end of World War II," countries that would normally have destroyed their surplus weapons are now being encouraged to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan
Civilians Alone 'Lose' 650,000 Guns Each Year, Says Study Released at UN
Reuters
14 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Every year hundreds of thousands of small arms go missing and many wind up in the hands of insurgents in countries like Iraq, Colombia and Afghanistan, a new survey published on Monday said. The annual report issued by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey said that as many as 650,000 civilian-owned weapons go missing. This figure excludes the considerable amount of weapons that are diverted -- usually meaning stolen... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
Pentagon's Afghan Army Ammo Sale Fraud Takes Political Twist in Congress
Los Angeles Times
14 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- A top-priority federal investigation of military procurement fraud in Afghanistan has been forced to shift direction because of a congressional panel's allegation that a senior U.S. diplomat sought to cover up the scheme. The accusation against the ambassador appears to be unraveling, however, and prosecutors are scrambling to assess the effects on a case involving what is considered to be one of the most serious procurement... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Central Asia's Guns-for-drugs Trade Helps Arm Insurgents Worldwide
Rome News-Tribune (Georgia) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
7 July 2008
BADAKHSHAN, Afghanistan -- The bazaar sits on a small island in the middle of the Panj River, the shallow waterway that serves as the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. On either side loom the Pamir Mountains, a range of high peaks that cuts the region off from the rest of the world. When the bazaar first opened five years ago, people on both sides of the border cheered the opportunity for commerce to flourish between the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Army's $300m Ammo Deal 'Case Study' in Botched Military Contracting
New York Times
25 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the Army last year awarded a contract worth up to nearly $300 million to a tiny Miami Beach munitions dealer to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces, it overlooked a very checkered past. A Congressional committee revealed Tuesday that by the time the Army awarded the bid, State and Defense Department officials had canceled or delayed at least six earlier contracts with the company, AEY Inc., for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan
US Ambassador to Albania Targeted in Illegal Afghan Ammunition Probe
Reuters
24 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The State Department said on Tuesday it would review the conduct of the U.S. ambassador to Albania, after a congressman alleged the envoy knew about a case in which Chinese-made ammunition was falsely relabeled as manufactured in Albania and shipped to the Afghan army. In a hearing on Tuesday and a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the previous day, Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Miami Gun Dealer Charged with Selling Chinese Ammo to Pentagon
New York Times
21 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The 22-year-old president of a Miami Beach arms-dealing company and three other people were charged Friday with selling prohibited Chinese ammunition to the Pentagon to supply Afghan security forces, federal officials said. A federal grand jury in Miami indicted the munitions dealer, Efraim E. Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., as well as two former employees and a business associate, on charges of fraud and conspiring... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan
Pakistani Gun Control Groups Target US, Afghanistan for Weapon Flood
News (Karachi)
10 June 2008
PESHAWAR -- Highlighting case of Pakistan Raza Shah Khan, executive director of Sustainable Peace and Development Organisation (Spado) claimed that the problem of arms proliferation in the region was the result of Afghanistan war wherein the US provided about $2 billion in arms aid. "We had the greatest number of guns per capita in the world," he told a seminar, jointly organised by Spado, Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania
Inferior Ammunition to Afghanistan Leads US Army to Review Arms Policy
New York Times
27 April 2008
MOSCOW -- The United States Army has begun a broad review of procedures used to supply security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with foreign arms, prompted by an allegation of fraud and questions about the competence of the main private supplier of ammunition to Afghanistan. The company, AEY Inc. of Miami Beach, was suspended last month after Army investigators accused it of shipping aged Chinese rifle cartridges and claiming they... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe
Guns 'Commonly' Smuggled in UK Army Vehicles Crossing Europe from Iraq
BBC News
25 April 2008
Two former soldiers who were jailed for their involvement in a gun smuggling ring have said the practice is common in the British army. Shane Pleasant and Ben Whitfield were in the Third Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, when they helped to smuggle weapons from Iraq into Europe. They said if soldiers had the right contacts it was easy to smuggle weapons out of countries. The MoD said there was no evidence such... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Coalition 'Error' Delivered Machine Guns, Assault Weapons to Taliban Leader
Associated Press
13 April 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A coalition helicopter trying to supply Afghan police with munitions dropped them in the wrong location and Taliban fighters later recovered the weaponry, an intelligence official said Sunday. A member of parliament, however, said he did not believe the arms drop was an accident. Amrullah Saleh, the head of Afghanistan's intelligence service, told a parliament security committee "coalition forces"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Slovakia, United States, Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary
Slovakia Sold Ammunition to Miami Gun Dealer, Pentagon for Afghan War
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / SME (Bratislava), Transcript
8 April 2008
Slovakia has traded in arms with the AEY company, which is being investigated over fraud in the United States. The daily New York Times found out that the company had been selling old Chinese ammunition from Albania to the Afghanis for decades, claiming that it was from Hungary. It purchased other weapons and munitions for the Afghanis in Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It is not clear what exactly happened... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
$298m Pentagon Deal: 'Fraudulent' Licensed Gun Dealer's Exports Blocked
New York Times
4 April 2008
The State Department on Thursday suspended the international export activities of AEY Inc., a Miami Beach arms-dealing company led by a 22-year-old man whose munitions procurements for the Pentagon are under criminal investigation, according to American officials familiar with the decision. The Army last week accused the firm's president, Efraim E. Diveroli, of fraud, claiming he shipped Chinese cartridges to Afghanistan after certifying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
US Congress Afghan Guns Inquiry Pins Albanian PM in Corruption Probe
Balkan Insight
4 April 2008
TIRANA -- The United States Congress has announced a probe into the arms deals between U.S.-based AEY and Albanian officials. The investigation was announced by U.S. Democratic Congressman, Henry Waxman (California) and will be conducted by the House Government Oversight Committee. The weapons involved were intended to supply the Afghan Army. AEY President, 22 year-old Efraim Diveroli, the company's 25 year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Licensed US Gun Dealer Given 'Disadvantaged' Status in $300m Arms Deal
Government Executive (USA)
3 April 2008
A Miami-based defense contractor under investigation for delivering faulty munitions to Afghan security forces saw his business boom after being incorrectly labeled as a small disadvantaged business. Before the designation first appeared in the Federal Procurement Data System in mid-2006, AEY Inc., owned by 22-year-old Efraim Diveroli, had done $8.14 million in business with the federal government. Since the SDB label was applied,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Pentagon Promised $300m for 'Barely Legal' Gun Dealer's Corroded Ammo
Taxpayer.net (USA) Vol. XIII No. 14, Web Page
3 April 2008
It sounds like the plot of a Tom Clancy thriller: A tiny company run out of an unmarked Miami Beach office by a barely legal troublemaker siphons hundreds of millions of dollars from the Pentagon by selling it rusting weapons from aged Communist stockpiles. A company called AEY Inc., run by 22-year-old Efriam E. Diveroli, managed to do exactly that for four years -- yet another example of unchecked corruption and incompetence in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Pentagon, Miami Beach Party Boy/Gun Dealer in $300m Afghan Ammo Deal
Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
30 March 2008
Certain words tend to pop up in stories about arms dealers. Invariably, they're "shadowy." As if international arms merchants come out of the box with the factory default set to "shadowy." Other words are just as inevitable. Figure on "AK-47" and "shoulder-fired missile" and "Miami." Though, in international arms trade parlance, the armament bazaar called Miami includes Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Hialeah, Sunshine Ranches and, of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Grants 22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer His $300 Million 'Hallucinatory Dream'
Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
30 March 2008
To the young man, caught in the tawdry glamour of South Beach, it must have seemed a hallucinatory dream: millions in military contracts simply for the asking. So Efraim Diveroli asked, bidding for the right to supply munitions to the Afghan Army. Nevermind that Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., was barely out of his teens. Or that AEY 's specialty was not arms-dealing but scrap-brokering. What mattered is that AEY offered the winning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer Had $200m US Army Deal for Afghan War Ammo
Associated Press
28 March 2008
MIAMI -- Efraim Diveroli was barely old enough to buy alcohol. His MySpace page talked about mundane issues of youth like how he was "basically just working and chilling with my boyz when im not." Despite his age, the 22 year old from Miami Beach was also building a military weapons business with more than $200 million in U.S. government contracts. The Army now says he illegally provided Chinese-made ammunition to the Afghanistan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, China
US Army Accuses Miami Gun Dealer of Fraud in $200m Afghan Ammo Deal
New York Times
28 March 2008
When the United States Army decided this week to suspend the main supplier of munitions to Afghan security forces from future federal work, it did so after a field investigation documented what it called an act of fraud. Last Nov. 25, the president of the company, Efraim E. Diveroli, signed papers certifying that 28 pallets of ammunition for Afghanistan had been manufactured by MFS 2000, a Hungarian company, according to the investigators'... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Congress Probes Miami Gun Dealer Over Suspect $200m Ammo Deal
CNN
28 March 2008
Efraim Diveroli's father hoped his son would become a doctor or lawyer. What he got instead is a 22-year-old international arms dealer who faces a congressional inquiry for allegedly selling old Chinese ammunition to the U.S. military to equip allies in Afghanistan. Diveroli is president of AEY Inc., a South Florida company which, according to U.S. government documents, has done more than $10 million of business with the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China
US Suspends Miami 22yr-old in $200m China-Afghan Guns, Ammo Ripoff
CNN
28 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- U.S. investigators are looking into accusations that a company hired by the U.S. military supplied corroded and decades-old Chinese ammunition to the Afghan Army and police. The U.S. government has suspended AEY Inc. of Miami, Florida for violating its contract, according to U.S. Army documents obtained by CNN. And the House Oversight Committee plans to hold a hearing into the matter on April 17. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Albania, Afghanistan, United States
US/Afghan Ammunition, Gun Trafficking Scandal Implicates Albanian PM
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
27 March 2008
TIRANA -- Albanian leaders are accused of profiting from a murky arms deal with a company whose contract with the U.S. Army was suspended this week. The allegations implicate politicians as high as Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former Defence Minster Fatmir Mediu, with corruption. The allegations were the subject of a heated debate in Parliament on Thursday. "You are thwarting our integration into NATO and should resign,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China, Albania, Iraq
US Offers 22yr-old Miami Man $300m for Old, Often Dud Afghan War Ammo
New York Times
27 March 2008
Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur. With the award... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, United States, Iraq, Afghanistan
German Gun Maker H&K Dumps 'Unique Partnership' with Blackwater USA
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
19 February 2008
Weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch said it would end its relationship with Blackwater after German media reported that the controversial US-run military firm was using its guns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Blackwater, a private security company which has been contracted to protect high-profile US officials and foreign dignitaries in Iraq, had been using Heckler & Koch machine guns in both Iraq and Afghanistan, German broadcaster ARD's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghan Police Crackdown Strips Private Security Firms of Unlicensed Guns
Times (UK)
10 February 2008
KABUL -- Afghan police have begun a crackdown on private security guards carrying guns in Kabul, paralysing foreign aid and other organisations whose rules oblige them to travel with armed escorts. The Interior Ministry has also detained four foreign employees of two security companies for several days, including two British citizens who were released on Saturday but still have charges pending against them, The Times has learnt. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
American Soldiers Strip, Rebuild AK-47s for Afghan Military, Police
State (South Carolina)
6 January 2008
CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan -- Sgt. Dennis Busby never held an AK-47 -- let alone fired one -- until he came to Afghanistan. Now, the S.C. National Guard soldier is helping to restore weapons, including the ubiquitous Soviet-era assault rifle Afghan forces use. Busby, of Lexington, is a member of the Guard's 218th Brigade Combat Team, deployed here to mentor the Afghan army and police. He works at a nearby supply... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan
Taliban Resurgence Pushes Up Gun Prices in Pakistan's Darra Adam Khel
Daily Times (Lahore)
2 November 2007
PESHAWAR -- The sales and prices of arms in Frontier Region (FR) of Darra Adam Khel, famous for its illegal arms market, have shot up as the Taliban insurgency is gaining momentum in the tribal areas and parts of NWFP, Daily Times learnt on Thursday. Shopkeepers in Darra bazaar told Daily Times that the prices of weapons had soared because the "mujahideen" who used to sell weapons in the past now needed them. A shopkeeper... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Amid Fears of a Taliban Resurgence, Militias, Afghani Civilians Hoard Guns
New York Times
28 October 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Many former militia commanders and residents in northern Afghanistan have been hoarding illegal weapons in violation of the country's disarmament laws, giving the excuse that they face a spreading Taliban insurgency from the south that government forces alone are too frail to stop, Afghan and Western officials say. After years of moderate success for government disarmament programs, rumors of widespread defiance... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, United Nations
Serbian Gun Runner Shipped Tons of Guns, Ammunition to Various Conflicts
New York Times
7 October 2007
NIS, Serbia -- For the past four years Tomislav Damnjanovic has played a crucial role in the United States' wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2003, he has delivered millions of rounds of ammunition, guns, grenades and mortars to the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, United Nations officials say, facts he does not dispute. His aircraft have even been used to shuttle supplies between American bases in Iraq, saving troops from having to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United Nations
Gun Control in Afghanistan: UN/US-led Effort to Retrieve 10 Million Weapons
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
6 September 2007
Once heralded as a success story in the global war on terror, Afghanistan is reaching a tipping point. In spite of desperate efforts by western governments to contain spiraling violence outside of Kabul, more than 4,400 Afghans were killed in 2006, many of them by gunfire. Although NATO troops are struggling to put down the Taliban-led insurgency, efforts to regulate and collect the tools of war must be redoubled. Recent news that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait
US Auditors Sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to Trace Missing Guns, Corruption
USA Today / AP
28 August 2007
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is sending a team of investigators to Iraq because of the growing number of cases of fraud and other irregularities in contracts involving weapons and supplies for Iraqi forces. "The (Defense) Department is concerned with the number of contracting improprieties" that have been uncovered, department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday. Some members of a team led by Pentagon Inspector General Claude... ( gunpolicy.org )
Montenegro, Afghanistan, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Montenegro, Other Balkan Nations Donate Guns, Ammunition to Afghanistan
SEESAC (Belgrade) / South East European Times, Transcript
23 August 2007
Montenegro's government is defending its decision to send surplus weapons and ammunition to Afghanistan as a contribution to the global fight against terrorism. On August 14th, the cabinet agreed to donate around 1,500 automatic rifles, 100 machine guns and 250,000 bullets to Afghan troops battling the Taliban. The explanation was that Montenegro wants to help stabilise Afghanistan and contribute to global security. Opposition... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Afghanistan
NATO/Bosnian Guns Donated to Afghanistan Possibly Leaked to Taliban
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Dnevni Avaz (Sarajevo), Transcript
14 August 2007
[Interview with independent researcher Hugh Griffiths; place and date not given: 'Bosnian Weapons in the Hands of the Taleban.'] Weapons that have recently been donated by Bosnia-Hercegovina to Afghanistan may have easily ended up in the Taliban's hands, independent researcher Hugh Griffiths has warned. Griffiths has worked for a number of international governmental and non-governmental organizations. He is the author of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Stolen Military Weapons, Afghanistan/US Gun Running in Green Beret Trial
Miami Herald
25 March 2007
The Taliban of Afghanistan. Pirates off Somalia. Neo-Nazis in West Virginia. They all figure into the story of David Kellerman, a Green Beret from Fort Lauderdale accused of trying to smuggle high-powered weapons, ammunition and explosives out of Afghanistan and stockpiling more of them in Broward County. With a trial scheduled for May, the case may turn on whether jurors believe that Kellerman, 44, a decorated soldier... ( gunpolicy.org )
Czech Republic, Afghanistan
Czech Government Approves Donation of 20,000 Guns to Afghanistan
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / CTK news (Prague), Transcript
21 February 2007
PRAGUE -- The Czech government today approved the plan to donate 20,000 automatic rifles and 650 machine guns worth 30 million crowns to Afghanistan. The Defence Ministry said the arms were redundant and that they would contribute to the international efforts to achieve security and improve democracy in the region. In early March, the Czech government is to decide on the donation of 12 transport and combat helicopters to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Soldiers Smuggle AK-47s from Afghanistan, Says GI Robbery Suspect
National Public Radio / All Things Considered (USA)
18 December 2006
An Army Ranger who is accused of robbing a bank with machine guns says his weapons came from Afghanistan -- and that they were brought back to the United States by American troops. Luke Sommer, 20, has been charged with robbing a Bank of America branch in Tacoma, Wash., on Aug. 7. Surveillance cameras captured the robbery, which showed men armed with fully automatic AK-47s, balaclavas on their faces, carrying out a heist that investigators... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq, United States, United Nations
Bosnia's Leftover Guns: Sell, Give to Iraq or Afghanistan, Destroy?
Christian Science Monitor
10 July 2006
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- What's been called the biggest arms transfer since World War II -- the shipping of leftover weapons from Bosnia's 1992-1995 war to combat zones in the Middle East and elsewhere -- may not have come to an end, despite a year-old moratorium on Bosnian arms sales. As a UN conference on small arms wrapped up last week, key policymakers reviewed the UN's 2001 action program to end the illegal arms trade,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Where the Gun Still Rules
IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
7 June 2006
KABUL -- Abdullah Shah, 25, busily sews clothes in his small tailor's shop in Obdarra, a village in Anaba district in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, some 120 km north of the capital, Kabul. He has been the sole breadwinner in his family since his brother, Shafiqullah, was gunned down by a powerful warlord in late 2003. A slaying typical of an environment where local strong men still hold sway over local communities and often deliver ruthless... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Afghanistan
Bosnian Serbs Want to Donate Surplus Guns to Afghanistan
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Nezavisne Novine, Transcript
15 December 2005
Nezavisne Novine has learned that old guns in the Serb Republic Army's arsenal could get into the hands of the Afghanistan security forces. Today the government is expected to make a decision on a Defence Ministry initiative to donate surplus weapons to Afghanistan. If the proposal is accepted, the Afghans, in the words of Defence Minister Milovan Stankovic, may get several thousand automatic guns and several hundred machine-guns.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Teaches Foreign 'Gunrunners' a Hard Lesson
Washington Post / AP
7 December 2005
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Dozens of armed police burst into a Kabul guest house in October, arresting the stunned occupants. For an American, two Britons and an Indian, the raid began a trip through the Afghan justice system marked by violence, uncertainty and the possibility of years in prison. After gun-smuggling charges, jail and a brief trial, the ordeal led Wednesday to acquittal for the American, suspended sentences for the others,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghans Jail Britons, Indian for Possessing Guns
New York Times / Reuters
7 December 2005
KABUL -- An Afghan court sentenced two Britons and an Indian to two years in jail on Wednesday after convicting them of illegally possessing firearms, but acquitted an American who stood trial with them. The four men were arrested in October in a police raid on a Kabul guest house. Judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada said Britons Peter Eaton and Michael Shaw and Indian Naveen Joshi had been found guilty of illegally possessing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
UK, US, Indian Expats Among Six Arrested in Kabul for Gun Trafficking
BBC News
11 November 2005
The brother of an engineer held in Afghanistan on suspicion of gun running has said he is worried for his safety and does not believe he is guilty. Peter Eaton, 52, from Milford Haven, was one of six men, two of them UK nationals, detained in the capital Kabul last month. The men have not yet been charged and no date has been set for any trial. Mr Eaton's brother, Tim, said: "I don't think my brother would have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Iraq, Afghanistan
Reality Check: The Danger of Small Arms Proliferation
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (Washington, DC), Journal
26 September 2005
While the world focuses on hypothetical consequences from the use of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, another class of weapons is actually killing hundreds of thousands and devastating entire societies every year. These weapons, known as small arms and light weapons (hereafter small arms) are truly weapons of mass destruction. The need to address small arms proliferation and misuse is just as urgent and critical as their nuclear... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq, Afghanistan
US Forced to Import Bullets from Israel as Troops Use 250,000 for Every Rebel Killed
Independent (UK)
26 September 2005
WASHINGTON -- US forces have fired so many bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan -- an estimated 250,000 for every insurgent killed -- that American ammunition-makers cannot keep up with demand. As a result the US is having to import supplies from Israel. A government report says that US forces are now using 1.8 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition a year. The total has more than doubled in five years, largely as a result of the wars... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Over 50,000 Former Afghan Soldiers Have Disarmed, UN Reports
UN News Service
8 May 2005
More than 50,000 former Afghan military troops have disarmed, and 90 per cent of them have entered a programme aimed at helping them to re-join society, the United Nations reported today. "The most popular area of reintegration is agriculture with 43.6 per cent of participants choosing that option," Ariane Quentier, spokesperson for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told a press briefing in the capital Kabul. "Vocational... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Final Phase in Afghan Disarmament
BBC News
24 March 2005
A campaign to disarm tens of thousands of militiamen in Afghanistan has entered the final phase. The disarmament programme started by the United Nations 18 months ago has already resulted in 45,000 men giving up their guns. In the final four months, weapons will be collected from the remaining militia units, particularly around Kabul. Militiamen who hand in their guns are given training to help them settle into... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Too Many Weapons in Private Hands
IRIN (UN News)
7 March 2005
KABUL -- In an episode that suggests Afghanistan is slowly becoming safer, Shir Alam a 50-year-old local commander, surrendered several hundred mt of arms to a United Nations ammunitions stockpile and collection group on Thursday outside the capital, Kabul. Alam had amassed the arms over three decades of conflict, first fighting Soviet forces during 1980s and later against rival militia groups during the 1990s civil war in the capital.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghan Army Soldier Opens Fire in US Base, Killing Five
Associated Press
27 January 2005
KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan soldier opened fire inside a U.S. military base Thursday, killing five of his Afghan comrades before another soldier gunned him down to end a shooting that a commander attributed to mental problems. Elsewhere, Afghan police killed a suspected Taliban commander and captured his deputy in a shootout. The U.S. military said the soldier attacked fellow Afghan National Army troops early Thursday... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Gun Culture Costs Lives, Including Unintentional Shootings
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
25 November 2004
MAZAR-E-SHARIF -- Accidental deaths from firearms are common, but Afghans are reluctant to give up their prized guns. "I didn't mean to kill him, but the gun went off by mistake." That was Gul Halim's explanation for the death of his friend last week. Halim said he wanted to tease Sharif, so as a joke, he pointed his Kalashnikov at him. The gun went off, and Sharif, 27, was killed instantly. Halim, 35, is now in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Weapon Collection Scheme Puzzles Warlords
Sydney Morning Herald
27 October 2004
In the mud-walled village of Gan Qadan, on Afghanistan's sprawling Shomali Plains, the warlord Ghulam Eishaan cannot quite believe that foreign powers are offering millions of dollars for him and his men to drop their guns. He scratches his head at the news that a new redundancy program is being offered to make people like him swear off fighting -- a lump sum or a stipend of up to $US500 ($670) a month. The program is pitched at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghans Hold on to Their Insurance Policy
Guardian (UK)
18 October 2004
KAPISA -- Most people in Kareza, a dusty village two hours north of Kabul, keep animals tethered outside their mud-walled houses. Commander Mafouz keeps two Soviet tanks. The 21-year-old fighter has grown fond of the two green hulks, which still have live shells in their barrels; so fond that he recently threatened to kill the UN team that tried to tow them away. "My brother died after capturing these tanks from the Taliban.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ukraine, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka
Ukrainian Arms Exports End Up in a Wide Range of Conflict Zones
Jane's Defence News, Web Page
19 September 2004
Ukraine's arms exports last year stood at US$530-550m, an increase on the year before when they were officially recorded at $440m. JID's regional analyst looks at the implications of Kiev's weapons policy. Ukrainian experts analysing this highly secretive sector of Ukraine's foreign trade believe that the volume of military exports could rise to an annual maximum of $700m. Of course, these figures do not include the large volume... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Africa, West Asia
Stop the Guns Targeting Aid Workers
Globe & Mail (Toronto), Opinion
11 August 2004
The terrifying decline of humanitarian and security conditions in Iraq and Sudan is grabbing headlines. But for the humanitarian aid community, news from Afghanistan is worse. In July, five employees of Médecins sans frontières were ambushed and killed in the northwestern province of Badghis. These killings echoed the shooting deaths of five other Afghan aid workers near Kabul earlier this year on the eve of a visit by the U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Disarming of Afghani Militias Behind Schedule
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
9 July 2004
The internationally financed programme designed to disarm thousands of armed men who fought for local commanders against the Taleban and during the years of civil war in the country has fallen badly behind schedule. The delay raises the spectre that local commanders may still lead powerful private armies by the time of the presidential election this autumn, leaving them with the capacity to intimidate local voters and even threaten... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Where Guns Rule, Disarmament Falls Short
Los Angeles Times
6 June 2004
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Taj Mohammed picked up a gun when he was 18 and fought the Soviets, and then the Taliban, in the Panjshir Valley, the heart of the Afghan resistance against occupiers. After two decades of serving his homeland, the longtime commander is among 100,000 fighters who have been told to hand over their weapons and return to civilian life, as part of a $370-million United Nations plan to disarm Afghanistan. But the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
New Report Shoots Down Assumptions About Arms Proliferation
Radio Free Europe (Czech Republic)
27 February 2004
PRAGUE -- A new report counters preconceptions that Central Asia is a "hotbed of gun proliferation and misuse." The study uses Kyrgyzstan as a case study and finds that, despite suffering from socio-economic problems and ethnic tensions, there is little evidence that this has led to increasing violence and gun proliferation. "Some states are better than others at controlling small arms. But they are nonetheless vulnerable in key... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Afghanistan
Soldier's Shooting is 13th Afghan Gun Mishap
Canadian Press
16 February 2004
KABUL -- Canadian troops in Afghanistan fired their weapons by accident or through negligence a dozen times before a soldier apparently shot himself Sunday, The Canadian Press has learned. The soldier remained in critical condition in the army hospital at Camp Julien late Sunday. He was alone with his gun in his sleeping quarters when he was shot in the face. A military investigation is underway. "Obviously if he was alone,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghans Trade Guns for Shot at a New Life
Washington Post
23 October 2003
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- "Name?" "Shah Mahmad." "Age?" "Thirty-four." "Can you read?" "No." "Any skills?" "Just this gun." With such terse exchanges, repeated several hundred times during the past two days at army bases across the northern province of Kunduz, Afghan and U.N. officials launched a long-awaited national program to disarm tens of thousands of factional fighters,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Afghanistan
Army Slammed At Inquest Over Lethal Mix of Guns and Alcohol
Western Mail (Wales)
18 September 2003
A coroner last night attacked the army for allowing a lethal mix of alcohol and firearms at a party which ended with the death of a Welsh soldier and the suicide of his killer. Sergeant Robert Busuttil, 30, of Tycoch, Swansea, died when Corporal John Gregory, 30, from Catterick, North Yorkshire, fired up to 10 rounds into his body before turning his assault rifle on himself during a farewell barbecue at a camp at Kabul airport in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Gun Culture Challenge
BBC News
22 February 2003
Of all the challenges facing the new Afghanistan, taking away the guns is the greatest. As long as armed militias continue to exist, they threaten the authority of the central government of Hamid Karzai, and all attempts to create a new national army. The United States and Japanese governments have already pledged $95m to cover the costs of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of Afghanistan's many fighters. Most... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United States
Captured Arms Will Stop Going to Afghan Militia
Los Angeles Times
26 October 2002
BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military has stopped handing over confiscated weapons to Afghan militia fighters after criticism that it was strengthening regional warlords at the expense of the national government. The change was made quietly after reports Oct. 16 that weapons caches were going to militia fighters traveling with American forces, U.S. military spokesman Col. Roger King said Friday. Critics worried that arming private... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Bulgaria Donates Arms, Equipment to Aid Afghan Army
Associated Press
21 August 2002
BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- Bulgaria has donated a large number of weapons and ammunition to the Afghan National Army, an example of the international community's commitment to help the country, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. The donation, to be used for training and equipping the new army, included 400 AK-47 rifles, 8 82-mm mortars, 12 SPG-9 anti-tank missile launchers, 15 RPG-7 launchers, 8 PKM machine guns and 30 radio... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Guns Offer Fast Profit for Afghans
Christian Science Monitor
6 August 2002
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Abdul Zahir says he's weary of war, but artifacts from Afghanistan's violent past still clutter his rickety shop. A carpet woven with a zigzagging pattern of assault rifles hangs from the rafters. Bottles of shampoo and cartons of cigarettes are arrayed on shelves punctuated by Soviet bayonets. Hidden beneath a cushion in a sitting area is a Czech SKS rifle. A battered Kalashnikov leans in a corner. Mr.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Despite Disarmament Order, Guns Ubiquitous on Kabul's Streets as Loya Jirga Nears
Associated Press
6 June 2002
KABUL, Afghanistan -- On a side street, camouflage-clad partisans of the northern alliance play pickup volleyball, their AK-47s bouncing against their backs. On a corner in ramshackle western Kabul, a bony boy no older than 10 paces back and forth, his battered Kalashnikov dragging on the ground. Kabulis, no strangers to war, take such displays in stride. But though far fewer weapons are on the streets than five months ago, guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Crime Returning in Afghan City Where Taliban Harshness Kept Peace
Associated Press
5 April 2002
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- For God's sake, leave me! shouted Mehmood, an auto parts salesman, when two men with AK-47 assault rifles accosted him outside a mosque in a garbage-lined alley. Mehmood spoke his last words at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to witnesses. They say he then tried to snatch the gun of one assailant, whose partner stepped up and shot him in the back. The gunmen fled, and Mehmood died in the dirt, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Psst, Wanna Buy a Bayonet? Or a Burqa? On Dusty Afghan Base, American Soldiers Find a Marketplace
Associated Press
1 April 2002
For U.S. soldiers stationed at this dusty Afghan base, the absence of those daily consumer pleasures TV, a cold beer, an excursion to the mall is glaring. On the other hand, how often is the kid bicycling down the street back home selling Russian bayonets and burqas? For the discerning GI souvenir hounds, the Vietnam War had its Ao-Dai, or traditional Vietnamese dresses, and World War II its Lugar pistols and Nazi memorabilia. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
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