Calibre Obscura (Page 2)

Iranian .50 Cal: The AM-50 Sayyad and Its Use in the Middle East

The AM-50 Sayyad- meaning Hunter- is commonly seen across the Middle East, particularly where Iran has maintained allies or has supplied arms. However, it does not always appear in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran's friends, and is often seen in the hands of groups

The Albanian Sniper Squad in Syria and their Weapons

Xhemati Alban is a small Sunni jihadi militant group operating in Idlib Governorate/North Aleppo, who are ethnically Albanians, though originating from Kosovo. They have recently released a video on their "sniper squad", although the group as a whole has additional members and are not limited to snipers.

The Weapons of ISIS in their Last Pocket

The "Hajin Pocket" in Southern Deir ez-Zor- the town of Hajin and some of the surrounding areas- is the last remaining area of land that ISIS fully control. Of course, this is massively smaller than the peak of the extremist's strength, when the group controlled

The Small Arms of ISIS in the North Caucasus

Wilayat al-Qawkaz is often underdiscussed and barely mentioned in the western english-speaking press, which is unsurprising, as it's one of the smaller and weaker ISIS "provinces" and hasn't participated in highly visual terrorist attacks in the West unlike ISIS Central in Syria

Interesting Equipment shown in Palestine Islamic Jihad's Recent Rally

Writing this by popular request. Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian terrorist organization with the objective of the destruction of Israel and the establishment of a independent Islamic Palestinian state. It has, along with Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, taken part in rocket, small arms, and fire balloon attacks

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The Lilac Gloves Gunmen- A Story of Weapons Proliferation

In this piece I'll go over the famously amusing "lilac gloves" Irish dissident image(s) and attempt to determine the militant's probable sources of arms, their age and condition. Note: This is an expansion of an earlier Twitter thread, with additional detail. It'

The Equipment of Taliban "Special Forces" in their 2018 & 2017 Propaganda

An important note at the beginning of this piece: The images that are discussed and referred to below are official Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) propaganda images. Hence, assumptions about actual Taliban equipment and capabilities shouldn't be made from these images. The reality on the ground is likely

Interesting Equipment in Palestine Islamic Jihad and Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades' Recent Propaganda

The recent clashes between Israel and armed elements in Gaza have lead to the usual release of various propaganda/martyrdom images. In themselves they are not particularly awe-inspiring, but the weapons that Hamas/Palestine Islamic Jihad and Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades have chosen to show in these

Keeping it Quiet: Suppressor Use by Jihadis, Militants & More

Amongst various militant groups in the Middle East there is a sporadic yet noteworthy use of suppressors used on firearms. I've been tracking this and have found that suppressors, also known as silencers or moderators, have been used by Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS), Islamic State (ISIS), People&