Gun Policy News
Gun violence, gun control and small arms
Russia,Afghanistan,Israel,Belgium,United States
How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers and Sell Guns
31 January 2013
EuroGamer
The American confectionery company Victoria Sweets claims to have invented the candy cigarette. A thin stick of chocolate, wrapped in edible paper and designed to impersonate a roll-up, it debuted in 1915 and soon became the accessory of choice for children keen to play grown-up. Hollywood star, GI Joe, team captain: the sweet gave kids the chance try out one of the vogue props of adulthood.
Within 20 years it was so popular that cigarette companies began to take... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EuroGamer
37023
Czech Republic,Hungary,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Guinea,Niger,Russia,South Sudan,China,Uganda,Afghanistan,Nigeria,Kenya,Iraq,Congo (DRC)
Trail of Bullet Casings Leads From Africa's Wars Back to Iran
11 January 2013
New York Times
The first clues appeared in Kenya, Uganda and what is now South Sudan. A British arms researcher surveying ammunition used by government forces and civilian militias in 2006 found Kalashnikov rifle cartridges he had not seen before. The ammunition bore no factory code, suggesting that its manufacturer hoped to avoid detection.
Within two years other researchers were finding identical cartridges circulating through the ethnic violence in Darfur. Similar ammunition then... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36931
Tajikistan,Afghanistan,Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Officials Alarmed by Small Arms Proliferation
15 June 2012
Eurasianet.org (EU/Asia)
A spokesman at Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry has acknowledged that only about half of the small arms that went missing during the country's 2010 political and ethnic violence have been accounted for. The "huge number" of weapons floating about is "enough to carry out another revolution in the country," believes the chairman of parliament's defense and security committee.
Bishkek's 24.kg news agency reported this week that security forces lost about 1,200 small arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Eurasianet.org (EU/Asia)
36257
France,United Kingdom,Somalia,Afghanistan,Egypt,Syria,United States,Africa
Excluding Ammunition from Arms Trade Treaty 'Totally Irrational' - Oxfam
30 May 2012
Oxfam International (Oxford), Media release
Excluding ammunition from new international Arms Trade Treaty would be "totally irrational"
Global sales of ammunition are worth more than $4 billion and are growing at a faster rate than trade in guns, yet there is virtually no regulation in place to control where the bullets end up, according to international agency Oxfam, in a new report today.
The report, 'Stop a Bullet, Stop a War,' has been published ahead of this summer's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in New... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Oxfam International (Oxford)
36192
Brazil,Turkey,China,Pakistan,Central Asia,Russia,Afghanistan
Where Do 20 Million Illegal Guns Come From? Afghanistan, Says Pakistan
17 May 2012
Express Tribune (Pakistan)
KARACHI - There are an estimated 20 million illegal arms in circulation in Pakistan.
This includes serious firepower: law enforcement authorities are increasingly coming under attack from criminals and terrorists armed with heavy weapons such as grenades (including rocket-propelled ones), long-range sniper rifles and machine guns. The volatile situation in Lyari was a case in point, where despite the fact that police were equipped with tank-like armoured personnel... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express Tribune (Pakistan)
36145
United States,France,China,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Sweden
Pakistan a 'Very Gun-friendly Society,' 9 in 10 Owners Unlicensed
30 April 2012
Dawn (Karachi)
On January 25 this year, 32-year-old Waqas, a garment factory employee was hit by a bullet in New Karachi and he died. The bullet was not fired from the gun of a target killer, but by friends of a bridegroom amidst late-night wedding celebrations.
Two children aged 10 and 12, died in Sialkot in a similar incident on February 20, when the jubilant brother of a bridegroom unleashed a burst of bullets.
Such accidents, almost an every-day affair in Pakistan, never make it... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dawn (Karachi)
36091
Ethiopia,South Africa,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Ukraine,Côte d'Ivoire,Eastern Europe,Russia,Central African Republic,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States,Colombia,Angola,Liberia,North Africa,West Asia,Africa
Shadowy 'Merchants of Death' Behind Africa's Illegal Gun-Running
11 April 2012
Think Africa Press (London)
Arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years by a US federal court last week.
Widely known as the 'merchant of death', the 45-year-old Russian has delivered weapons and arms to a wide range of presidents, insurgents and rebels in Africa and the Middle East including the likes of Charles Taylor in Liberia and Jonas Savimbi in Angola. He was caught in a US sting in which his services were solicited for the supply of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels.
His companies... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Think Africa Press (London)
36019
Central Asia,United States,Afghanistan,India
US Gets India to Train 30,000 Afghan Soldiers, Give Them Assault Rifles
3 December 2011
National (Abu Dhabi)
NEW DELHI - India plans to fly 20,000 to 30,000 Afghan troops to training bases in India over the next three years and is expanding its presence in Afghanistan as US troops leave.
The US is reportedly eager for more countries to take on part of the US$12 billion (Dh44bn) training bill for the Afghan security forces, and is also running out of time, having set 2014 as the deadline for transferring combat duties to local troops.
With the Afghan government unwilling to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)
35615
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Conspiracists Chatter as Secretive US Company Buys Up Gun, Ammo Makers
26 November 2011
New York Times
SCARBOROUGH, Me. - Lined up in a gun rack beneath mounted deer heads is a Bushmaster Carbon 15, a matte-black semiautomatic rifle that looks as if it belongs to a SWAT team. On another rack rests a Teflon-coated Prairie Panther from DPMS Firearms, a supplier to the United States Border Patrol and security agencies in Iraq. On a third is a Remington 750 Woodsmaster, a popular hunting rifle.
The variety of rifles and shotguns on sale here at Cabela's, the national... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35581
India,Afghanistan,Iraq,Sierra Leone,South Africa,Saudi Arabia,United States,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
'The Shadow World', an Incisive Exposé of the ArmsTrade - Book Review
1 November 2011
Telegraph (UK), Book review
If there is one book unlikely to appear on the Christmas reading lists of the former defence secretary Liam Fox and his self-professed adviser Adam Werritty, one suspects that this is it. The sorry case of Dr Fox and the mystery chum-cum-lobbyist amplifies what critics of the defence procurement industry – Feinstein prefers the racier "global arms trade" – have long argued. To put it mildly, and in a nutshell, it is not known for its transparency. Nor, for that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (UK)
35511
Afghanistan,Iraq,Canada
Canadian Groups Want Some Guns Banned Before Registry Is Scrapped
23 October 2011
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
After finishing a rotation through Afghanistan with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 22-year-old Dan Styles is back in Canada, safe and sound with his young family.
When he's not caring for his one-year-old baby daughter, Styles now spends a lot of his personal time at the shooting range near his home at CFB Petawawa, in eastern Ontario. There, he hones the skills he relied on in the field.
"It's practice, practice, practice," he says. "The better you get at it,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
35447
Afghanistan,Australia
Australia Govt Approves $8 Million for Thales to Design New Army Rifle
14 October 2011
Canberra Times (Australia)
The Government has approved $8million for Thales to develop a prototype for a better rifle for the Army.
Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare said the work would be carried out at Lithgow's Soldier Systems Centre - once known as the Lithgow Small Arms Factory.
The prototype would have better balance, weigh less and include an integrated grenade launcher.
It would retain the Austeyr's most controversial characteristic, its 5.56mm (.223 inch) calibre. The smaller... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Canberra Times (Australia)
35419
Kyrgyzstan,Czech Republic,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Central Asia,Russia,Uzbekistan,China,Kazakhstan,European Union,United States,Colombia,Iran
Smuggling of Small Arms in Central Asia Is Endemic - British Expert
2 August 2011
Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey), Transcript
British intelligence analyst and journalist Richard M. Bennett says the Fergana Valley is extremely vulnerable to the covert smuggling of arms and drugs, despite the official reports of Central Asian governments denying its highlighted status. Mr. Bennett told JTW that Russia has been responsible for an overwhelming amount of illegal arms circulating in ex-Soviet Central Asia. In his view, Russia's military intelligence (GRU) is the mastermind of major trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey)
35152
United States,Norway,United Kingdom,Africa,Afghanistan,Mexico
Gun Trade Inevitably Leads to the Sort of Atrocity Inflicted on Norway
31 July 2011
Independent (UK), Opinion
In discussion of the atrocity in Norway last week, there is one subject which has been notable by the almost total silence about it: guns. In response to recurring massacres in American high schools and British villages, in response to footage from Africa and Afghanistan showing ragged, untrained young men brandishing automatic small arms, in response to a man coolly murdering dozens of youngsters in an hour-and-a-half, funfair-like shooting spree on a Norwegian island,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
35146
Tajikistan,Afghanistan,Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Still Awash with Firearms, Guns Feature in Political Struggles
9 June 2011
Eurasianet.org (European Union - Asia) / Eagle-Tribune (Massachusetts)
One year after ethnic violence rocked southern Kyrgyzstan, leaving over 400 dead, gunshot wounds have been established as the main cause of death. Activists believe the country is still awash with firearms, and security experts say weapons are likely to keep featuring in domestic political struggles, especially as officials seek support from gun-toting associates or even arm themselves.
During the violent overthrow of Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April 2010, protestors seized... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Eurasianet.org (European Union - Asia) / Eagle-Tribune (Massachusetts)
34939
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
The Right to Bear Arms Guaranteed for US Military Troops?
27 May 2011
Wall Street Journal, Blog
Tucked away in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill that the House passed Thursday is a curious provision: an amendment that would ensure that troops deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq have the "right to bear arms."
You read that correctly. The House voted 260 to 160 to approve an amendment to the bill that would revise the military's "rules of engagement" to ensure troops in conflict zones can defend themselves.
Seem a bit redundant? Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.),... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
34858
Peru,Guatemala,Afghanistan,Argentina,Venezuela,Brazil,South America
Survey: South American Security Firms Carry More Guns Than Elsewhere
29 March 2011
United Press International
RIO DE JANEIRO - Private security firms in Latin America are the most armed with the largest weapons arsenals in that category of security industry companies worldwide, a new survey report said.
An added problem was that many of the weapons carried by employees of private security firms weren't registered under companies' names.
Instead, the weapons had private registrations that made the task of evaluating the firms' arsenals more difficult, said an advance research... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
34599
Iraq,Indonesia,Serbia,Jordan,Afghanistan
Serbian Weapon Maker Foresees 30% Rise in Sniper Rifle Exports
12 January 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
Zastava Oruzje, a Serbian weapons maker, made $17 million of sales abroad in 2010 and expects the figure to rise 30 percent this year as a result of contracts to sell sniper rifles to Jordan and Indonesia, Blic reported, citing General Manager Rade Gromovic.
The maker of handguns, military and hunting rifles also plans to continue supplying the Iraqi and Afghan armies until at least 2014, the newspaper... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bloomberg (USA)
34075
United States,China,Albania,Afghanistan
US Gun Dealer Gets 4yrs for $300 Million Pentagon Afghan Ammo Fraud
3 January 2011
Associated Press
MIAMI - A youthful arms dealer whose company once boasted a $300 million Pentagon munitions contract was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison for trying to ship millions of rounds of prohibited Chinese-made ammunition to Afghan forces fighting alongside U.S. troops.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard imposed the sentence on 25-year-old Efraim Diveroli, who faced a maximum of five years behind bars after pleading guilty in 2009 to a fraud conspiracy charge.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
33951
Afghanistan,United States
US Army Unveils 'Revolutionary' Exploding-ammo Rifle in Afghanistan
28 November 2010
Fox News (USA)
Since the dawn of modern warfare, the best way to stay alive in the face of incoming fire has been to take cover behind a wall. But thanks to a game-changing "revolutionary" rifle, the U.S. Army has made that tactic dead on arrival. Now the enemy can run, but he can't hide.
After years of development, the U.S. Army has unleashed a new weapon in Afghanistan -- the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, a high-tech rifle that can be programmed so that its 25-mm.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fox News (USA)
33743
Russia,Afghanistan
Russia Once Again Airlifts Planeloads of Assault Weapons to Afghanistan
9 November 2010
Voice of Russia (Moscow)
Power structures in any country should be well-armed: otherwise, what we are talking about can't be called power structures. This rule is of great importance for all countries, including Afghanistan in the first place. And still, till recently the power structures in Afghanistan were practically unarmed. Now the situation has begun changing – among other things, thanks to supplies from Russia.
The transport planes of the Russian Interior Ministry have begun... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of Russia (Moscow)
33622
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Ex-Marines Arrested for Selling Assault Weapons to Los Angeles Gang
9 November 2010
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Federal agents have arrested three retired Marines suspected of selling illegal assault weapons to a notorious Los Angeles street gang, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspected ringleader, Adam Gitschlag, who served in Iraq and was once based at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at his Orange County home Nov. 2 as part of an operation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as military investigators and local police.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
33612
Afghanistan,United States
Machine Guns Smuggled from Afghanistan Sold to Feds by US Navy SEAL
4 November 2010
United Press International
LAS VEGAS - A U.S. Navy SEAL and two others were arrested for allegedly selling smuggled machine guns to undercover agents, court papers filed in Las Vegas said Thursday.
The suspects were arrested after a five-month investigation and were to appear before a Las Vegas federal judge, KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, reported.
The weapons allegedly were brought into the United States from Afghanistan and Iraq and sold to undercover agents in Nevada and Colorado. No additional... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
33586
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Blackwater President, Execs Indicted on 'Scofflaw' Machine Gun Charges
21 April 2010
Associated Press
RALEIGH, North Carolina - Federal prosecutors launched a scathing assessment of Blackwater Worldwide's former president Wednesday, declaring in an initial court appearance that he operated the security firm with "sheer arrogance" and a "scofflaw attitude."
Gary Jackson and four past colleagues indicted last week appeared Wednesday morning before a judge who allowed them to go free as they await trial. A magistrate judge denied a government request to place a bond on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
32578
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq
US Rifle Sights Inscribed with 'Bible Codes' for War in Afghanistan
22 January 2010
al Jazeera
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 them a propaganda tool.
"They've always tried... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
31937
Afghanistan,Iran,Iraq,United States
Michigan Firm to Remove 'Bible Code' from Weapon Sold to Kill Muslims
21 January 2010
New York Times
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 kits to use for removing the lettering... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
31943
Afghanistan
Afghan Man Guns Down 16 Family Members Over Property Dispute
27 September 2009
Xinhua
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 the site of the bloody incident have escaped,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
31082
Pakistan,United States,Afghanistan
Flood of Stolen US Assault Rifles, Handguns Arms Taliban in Pakistan
9 September 2009
Islam Online (Qatar)
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.
Darra Adamkhel, virtually... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Islam Online (Qatar)
30907
Afghanistan
$600 for a Kalashnikov: A Sign of Bloodshed to Come in Afghanistan
2 September 2009
Independent (UK)
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 Western-backed President, Hamid... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
30913
Afghanistan
Taliban Moving from AK-47 to AK-74 to Penetrate NATO Body Armour?
2 September 2009
Wired (USA), Web page
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. Hekmat made his fortune ferrying arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wired (USA)
30867
Afghanistan
Gun Runners, Drug Traffickers Continue to Fuel War in Afghanistan
18 August 2009
Guardian (UK)
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 Afghanistan and Tajikistan to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
30868
United Kingdom,Afghanistan
British Troops Fire 12 Million Bullets in Three Years in Afghanistan
10 August 2009
Telegraph (UK)
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 Gereshk in Helmand province.
When British... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (UK)
30731
United Kingdom,Europe,Iraq,Afghanistan
British Troops Smuggle Guns from Iraq, Afghanistan to Europe, UK
3 August 2009
Birmingham Post (UK)
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 are hidden inside tank gun barrels for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Birmingham Post (UK)
30667
Afghanistan,Canada
Afghan Security Guards Secretly Armed with Canadian Assault Rifles
17 June 2009
Canadian Press
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 bases in southern Afghanistan have some... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Canadian Press
30324
Serbia,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Record Assault Weapon Exports from Serbia Fuel US, Iraq, Afghan Wars
4 June 2009
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Blic Daily
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 would achieve the biggest foreign... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Blic Daily
30247
Pakistan,Afghanistan,United States
Guns Supplied by US, Smuggled to Pakistan More Deadly Than Nukes
31 May 2009
News International (Karachi), Editorial
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 (which are unlikely to be... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: News International (Karachi)
30230
United States,Afghanistan
US Contractors say Blackwater Supplied Guns Forbidden in Afghanistan
21 May 2009
Associated Press
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 Department of Defense... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
30120
Afghanistan,United States
US Contractors Held in Afghanistan After Fatal Shooting, Gun Law Breach
20 May 2009
Associated Press
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 in the shooting, and two others... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
30115
Afghanistan,United States
Guns, Ammunition Sent by US Seem to Be Falling Into Taliban Hands
20 May 2009
New York Times
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 the United States had provided to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
30111
Croatia,United States,Afghanistan
US Buys Another 19,000 Croatian AK-47s Said Destined for Afghanistan
5 April 2009
Javno.com / Vecerni List (Zagreb)
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 this deal are two: the lower price and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Javno.com / Vecerni List (Zagreb)
29740
Pakistan,Iraq,Afghanistan
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan Arming Village Vigilantes with Flood of Guns
4 March 2009
Christian Science Monitor
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 security teams are becoming a fixture in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
29370
Pakistan,Afghanistan
Pakistan Fuels Afghan Border Conflict, Gives 30,000 More Guns to Civilians
23 February 2009
Associated Press
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 a haven for Islamist insurgents only... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
29297
United States,Afghanistan,Albania
21yr-old US Gun Dealer Got $300m Pentagon Arms Contract, Handcuffs
18 February 2009
Details / GQ (USA)
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, a 21-year-old high-school dropout... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Details / GQ (USA)
29235
United States,Afghanistan
CNN's Wolf Blitzer 'Wow' Story: US Loses 87,000 Weapons in Afghan War
12 February 2009
CNN / Situation Room, Transcript
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 now be in the hands of the Taliban or al... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN / Situation Room
29204
United States,Afghanistan
One-third of US Guns Issued in Afghanistan Now 'Missing,' Say Officials
12 February 2009
CNN
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 Accountability Office report... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
29197
United States,Afghanistan
377,000 'Lost' Military Weapons Could Leak to Taliban, Says US GAO
12 February 2009
Washington Post
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 States — a stockpile that includes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
29186
United States,Afghanistan
Third-of-a-Million Military Weapons 'At Serious Risk of Theft' by Taliban
11 February 2009
Associated Press
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 fortified capital, killing 20... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
29192
United States,Afghanistan
Despite Years of Bad Results, US Pours More AK-47s Into Afghan Villages
4 February 2009
Associated Press
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 to neighboring Pakistan's tribal armies... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
29141
United States,Albania,Afghanistan,China,Iraq
US Repays Millions to Indicted Miami-Albania-Iraq-China Ammo Dealer
3 February 2009
New Times (Florida)
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.
Three men were arrested... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Times (Florida)
29134
United States,Afghanistan,China
US Govt Refunds Millions to Ammunition Dealer Charged with Fraud
26 January 2009
Miami Herald
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 agreed to unfreeze the money — as well as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami Herald
29074
Afghanistan
Afghans Rediscover the Lee-Enfield
22 January 2009
Strategy Page (USA), Web Page
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 hit a distant target in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Strategy Page (USA)
29067
Afghanistan
Kabul Daily Urges Afghan Government Not to Distribute Guns to Civilians
6 January 2009
Daily Afghanistan (Kabul), Editorial
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 spokesman also says that the commando... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Afghanistan (Kabul)
30244
Bulgaria,Russia,Iraq,Afghanistan
Bulgaria, 7 Other Nations Make 'Unlicensed, Illegal' AK-47s, Export to Iraq
20 November 2008
FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria) / Praim-TASS
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 to build a factory for the production of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria) / Praim-TASS
28672
Afghanistan,Iran,Pakistan,Russia
Wide Range of Guns, Weapons Readily Accessible to Taleban Fighters
18 September 2008
BBC News
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) high wall protects an... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
28271
United States,United Kingdom,Italy,Afghanistan,Iraq
Lax Management by US, UK, Italy Armed al-Qaida, Says Amnesty Report
17 September 2008
Middle East Times (Cairo) / UPI
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 "Blood at the Crossroads: Making the Case for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Middle East Times (Cairo) / UPI
28214
United States,Afghanistan,China,Albania
Miami Gun Dealer, 21, Caught in US$300 Million Pentagon Ammo Scam
16 August 2008
New Zealand Herald
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, Diveroli, president of Miami... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Zealand Herald
27990
Afghanistan
Guns Threaten Development, Gender Equity, Security in Afghanistan
25 July 2008
IRIN (UN News), Web Page
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 delivered assistance to 35,000... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
27806
Iraq,Afghanistan,United Nations,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Albania,Serbia
Iraq, Afghan Wars, Exports from Bosnia, Albania Hurt Bid to Destroy Guns
15 July 2008
Agence France Presse
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 export them, the Small Arms Survey 2008... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
27687
United States,Afghanistan,Albania
Pentagon's Afghan Army Ammo Sale Fraud Takes Political Twist in Congress
14 July 2008
Los Angeles Times
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 abuses in years.
The case... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
27693
United Nations,Iraq,Colombia,Afghanistan
Civilians Alone 'Lose' 650,000 Guns Each Year, Says Study Released at UN
14 July 2008
Reuters
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 or sold on the black market —... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
27673
Afghanistan,Tajikistan
Central Asia's Guns-for-drugs Trade Helps Arm Insurgents Worldwide
7 July 2008
Rome News-Tribune (Georgia) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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 two countries.
And flourish it has:... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Rome News-Tribune (Georgia) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
27611
United States,Afghanistan
US Army's $300m Ammo Deal 'Case Study' in Botched Military Contracting
25 June 2008
New York Times
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 poor quality or late deliveries.
But... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
27445
United States,Albania,Afghanistan
US Ambassador to Albania Targeted in Illegal Afghan Ammunition Probe
24 June 2008
Reuters
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 Committee on Oversight and Government... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
27451
United States,Afghanistan
Miami Gun Dealer Charged with Selling Chinese Ammo to Pentagon
21 June 2008
New York Times
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 to misrepresent the types of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
27426
Pakistan,Afghanistan
Pakistani Gun Control Groups Target US, Afghanistan for Weapon Flood
10 June 2008
News (Karachi)
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 (Camp) and International Action... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: News (Karachi)
27296
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq,Albania
Inferior Ammunition to Afghanistan Leads US Army to Review Arms Policy
27 April 2008
New York Times
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 were Hungarian.
The Army decided to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26978
United Kingdom,Iraq,Afghanistan,Europe
Guns 'Commonly' Smuggled in UK Army Vehicles Crossing Europe from Iraq
25 April 2008
BBC News
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 guns were used in crimes in the UK.
The two soldiers... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
26953
Afghanistan
Coalition 'Error' Delivered Machine Guns, Assault Weapons to Taliban Leader
13 April 2008
Associated Press
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" intended to place weapons, ammunition and food... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26818
Slovakia,United States,Afghanistan,Albania,Bulgaria,Romania,Czech Republic,Hungary
Slovakia Sold Ammunition to Miami Gun Dealer, Pentagon for Afghan War
8 April 2008
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / SME (Bratislava), Transcript
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 to the munitions and under what... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / SME (Bratislava)
26764
United States,Afghanistan,Albania
US Congress Afghan Guns Inquiry Pins Albanian PM in Corruption Probe
4 April 2008
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
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 vice-president David Packouz, who is also a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
26713
United States,Afghanistan
$298m Pentagon Deal: 'Fraudulent' Licensed Gun Dealer's Exports Blocked
4 April 2008
New York Times
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 they were made in Hungary. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26706
United States,Afghanistan
Licensed US Gun Dealer Given 'Disadvantaged' Status in $300m Arms Deal
3 April 2008
Government Executive (USA)
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, AEY has earned more than $204 million... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Government Executive (USA)
26719
United States,Afghanistan
Pentagon Promised $300m for 'Barely Legal' Gun Dealer's Corroded Ammo
3 April 2008
Taxpayer.net (USA) Vol. XIII No. 14, Web Page
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 the explosion in "war on terror"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Taxpayer.net (USA) Vol. XIII No. 14
26717
United States,Afghanistan
Pentagon, Miami Beach Party Boy/Gun Dealer in $300m Afghan Ammo Deal
30 March 2008
Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
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 course, Miami Beach.
Shadowy Efraim... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
26689
United States,Afghanistan
US Grants 22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer His $300 Million 'Hallucinatory Dream'
30 March 2008
Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
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 bid. And by 2007, the U.S. Army —... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami Herald / Knight-Ridder
26688
United States,Afghanistan
US Congress Probes Miami Gun Dealer Over Suspect $200m Ammo Deal
28 March 2008
CNN
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 U.S. government since 2004.
The papers also... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
26650
United States,Afghanistan
22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer Had $200m US Army Deal for Afghan War Ammo
28 March 2008
Associated Press
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 army as part of that work.
Diveroli's... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26649
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq,China
US Army Accuses Miami Gun Dealer of Fraud in $200m Afghan Ammo Deal
28 March 2008
New York Times
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' memorandum.
Acting on a tip,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26632
United States,Afghanistan,China
US Suspends Miami 22yr-old in $200m China-Afghan Guns, Ammo Ripoff
28 March 2008
CNN
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 hearing will examine the company's financial... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
26629
Albania,Afghanistan,United States
US/Afghan Ammunition, Gun Trafficking Scandal Implicates Albanian PM
27 March 2008
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
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," Ndre Legisi, a deputy from the opposition... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
26631
United States,Afghanistan,China,Albania,Iraq
US Offers 22yr-old Miami Man $300m for Old, Often Dud Afghan War Ammo
27 March 2008
New York Times
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 last January of a federal contract worth as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26625
Germany,United States,Iraq,Afghanistan
German Gun Maker H&K Dumps 'Unique Partnership' with Blackwater USA
19 February 2008
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
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 "Report Mainz" program reported... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle (Germany)
26179
Afghanistan
Afghan Police Crackdown Strips Private Security Firms of Unlicensed Guns
10 February 2008
Times (UK)
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 French citizen and a Nepalese former... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times (UK)
26068
United States,Afghanistan
American Soldiers Strip, Rebuild AK-47s for Afghan Military, Police
6 January 2008
State (South Carolina)
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 depot with a team of technicians that supervises the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: State (South Carolina)
25785
Pakistan,Afghanistan
Taliban Resurgence Pushes Up Gun Prices in Pakistan's Darra Adam Khel
2 November 2007
Daily Times (Lahore)
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 told Daily Times on condition of anonymity... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Times (Lahore)
25175
Afghanistan
Amid Fears of a Taliban Resurgence, Militias, Afghani Civilians Hoard Guns
28 October 2007
New York Times
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 in the north have arisen recently... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
25127
Serbia,Iraq,Afghanistan,United Nations
Serbian Gun Runner Shipped Tons of Guns, Ammunition to Various Conflicts
7 October 2007
New York Times
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 make hazardous trips by land.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
24887
Afghanistan,United Nations
Gun Control in Afghanistan: UN/US-led Effort to Retrieve 10 Million Weapons
6 September 2007
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
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 Chinese arms were recovered from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
24597
United States,Iraq,Afghanistan,Kuwait
US Auditors Sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to Trace Missing Guns, Corruption
28 August 2007
USA Today / AP
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 M. Kicklighter are already in Iraq and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: USA Today / AP
24529
Montenegro,Afghanistan,Croatia,Albania,Bosnia & Herzegovina
Montenegro, Other Balkan Nations Donate Guns, Ammunition to Afghanistan
23 August 2007
SEESAC (Belgrade) / South East European Times, Transcript
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 parties have questioned the move. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SEESAC (Belgrade) / South East European Times
24547
Bosnia & Herzegovina,Afghanistan
NATO/Bosnian Guns Donated to Afghanistan Possibly Leaked to Taliban
14 August 2007
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Dnevni Avaz (Sarajevo), Transcript
[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 the Amnesty International (AI) report... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Dnevni Avaz (Sarajevo)
24416
United States,Afghanistan
Stolen Military Weapons, Afghanistan/US Gun Running in Green Beret Trial
25 March 2007
Miami Herald
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 with the U.S. Army Special Forces and a federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami Herald
23153
Czech Republic,Afghanistan
Czech Government Approves Donation of 20,000 Guns to Afghanistan
21 February 2007
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / CTK news (Prague), Transcript
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 the Afghan military. If the Mi-17 and Mi-24... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / CTK news (Prague)
22830
United States,Afghanistan
US Soldiers Smuggle AK-47s from Afghanistan, Says GI Robbery Suspect
18 December 2006
National Public Radio / All Things Considered (USA)
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 describe as having... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National Public Radio / All Things Considered (USA)
22358
Bosnia & Herzegovina,Afghanistan,Iraq,United States,United Nations
Bosnia's Leftover Guns: Sell, Give to Iraq or Afghanistan, Destroy?
10 July 2006
Christian Science Monitor
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, but were unable to come up with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
21023
Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Where the Gun Still Rules
7 June 2006
IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
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 punishment to those that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
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Bosnia & Herzegovina,Serbia,Afghanistan
Bosnian Serbs Want to Donate Surplus Guns to Afghanistan
15 December 2005
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Nezavisne Novine, Transcript
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.
"These are surplus weapons, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Nezavisne Novine
19286
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Teaches Foreign 'Gunrunners' a Hard Lesson
7 December 2005
Washington Post / AP
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, and a look into the risks... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
18968
Afghanistan
Afghans Jail Britons, Indian for Possessing Guns
7 December 2005
New York Times / Reuters
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 guns.
He said the prosecutor had accused them... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / Reuters
18967
Afghanistan
UK, US, Indian Expats Among Six Arrested in Kabul for Gun Trafficking
11 November 2005
BBC News
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 done anything like that."
Peter Eaton, who was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
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