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Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace Oliveira (Post 7751)

You would think all those AK-74s the soviets left behind in the war would be useful for terrorists but it seems like they don't use them.

It doesn't make as much sense for them to use those because even though the Russians left plenty of AK-74s behind, the fact is that 7.62x39mm AKs and their ammunition are just a million times more common. As Nyles pointed out, the vast majority of the USSR's former allies and client states never adopted/manufactured the AK-74. So if you're a militia commander who needs to arm hundreds or thousands of gunmen in a hurry, you're going to want to buy what's most readily and reliably available.

Which are AK-47 or clones

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excalibur (Post 7812)

Which are AK-47 or clones

I don't understand...

He means "AK-47 and clones" in reply to what you said militia commanders would equip their troops with (being "readily and reliable").

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdAstra2009 (Post 7819)

He means "AK-47 and clones" in reply to what you said militia commanders would equip their troops with (being "readily and reliable").

Ah, OK. Well, in that case, I meant any 7.62x39mm AKs, including clones, as opposed to AK-74s. The reason being, again, that there are probably 100x more of the former than the latter in the world.

I remember looking at news articles when I was doing research for South America in general, and I noticed a lot of M16s in the hands of locals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT2008 (Post 7807)

The ISI is full of operatives who helped get the Taliban off the ground in the 90s and are still sympathetic to them. It's one of the many reasons why so many Americans can't stand the thought of calling Pakistan an "ally".

So the problem is the corruption of the ISI, yes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace Oliveira (Post 7829)

So the problem is the corruption of the ISI, yes?

Worse. The agency is more-or-less a front-cum-support network for the Taliban. And it's fairly tough for the central government to keep them in line because they're almost a parallel government with their own agenda. In fact, I can't remember the stats, but I'm pretty sure that a large percentage of ISI operatives in those areas are Pashtun, the ethnic group from which the Taliban draws its membership.

Fortunately, the Pakistani government (both military and civilian elements) is finally getting serious about putting them in their place now that the Taliban are threatening to take over the country, but that will not be easy. Personally, I've always wondered if the ISI might ever stage a coup of its own, given that they are so much at odds with both the civilian and military leaders nowadays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excalibur (Post 7823)

I remember looking at news articles when I was doing research for South America in general, and I noticed a lot of M16s in the hands of locals.

The U.S. government has shipped many M16s to friendly regimes down there over the years. Sadly, Venezuela received a large number, too (before Chavez took over), which are now likely getting passed on to the Marxist insurgents and narco-guerrillas down there.