An excerpt from the new book, “Murphy’s Law: My Journey from Ranger and Green Beret to Investigative Journalist“ Another story developed when a fixer we had hired to help translate informed us that there was a big battle going down early the next morning near Kirkuk. No way were we going to pass that up. […]
Kurdistan
Don’t forget the essentials when setting up your combat loadout
Whether you’re running a chest rig or a plate carrier, there are some key features or additions that are going to remain requirements no matter what. I will readily admit that not everyone has the same needs for their gear but the following serves as a good rule of thumb. Magazines, communication, medical, and all […]
Acquiring a Pistol in Kurdistan: No Easy Task
There is a major shortage of firearms in Kurdistan today; this is primarily because there is a war being waged. With the small amount being trafficked into Kurdistan and the majority of the weapons from the coalition being sent to Iraq and Syria, very few find their way into Peshmerga hands. This creates very unique problems and solutions […]
Kurdish Peshmerga train with the SPG-9
The SPG-9 is a recoilless rifle designed by the Soviet Union and brought into service in 1962 under the nomenclature of Kopye (Spear). It fires a 73mm projectile that travels at speeds of up to 700 meters per second and is stabilized by an expanding fin system like that of an RPG-7 projectile. The weapon […]
The Peshmerga and the AK-47, the World’s Most Enduring Rifle
Like most armies in this part of the world, the Peshmerga’s go-to weapon is the AK-47/AKM. Sure, they have the G36 and a few M16/M4s floating around (usually with officers), but the Kalashnikov is the name of the game. What makes it fascinating is the number of variants and origins that you can find in the […]
Fighting ISIS: A Look at the Handguns of the Kurdish Peshmerga
Basically, there are three handguns that you are most likely to see on a Peshmerga officer’s hip: a Glock 19, a Walther P1/P-38, or an HS. Everybody knows what a Glock is, and the Walther is also a fairly recognizable piece. The HS, though, is unusual. What I find interesting about the HS, besides the […]
Why 45 ACP is an outdated caliber
I really love to stir things up in the shooting community (especially the internet portion of it) so I’m just going to say it, “.45 ACP is outdated.” That’s not to say it isn’t effective, or that it isn’t reliable; just that it’s outdated. The .45 ACP round was developed by John Browning in 1905 […]