Maoist insurgents building AK clones
Times of India reports …
NEW DELHI: Maoists may have been dependent on weapons looted from armouries but now they have developed the expertise to clone sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles of AK series, in a development that should worry security agencies as they brace for the offensive against the ultras.
…
The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. An official said, “Around 100 personnel of the CRPF’s 190th Battalion conducted the operation and arrested one Maoist. Though the rest of the ultras fled away, they left behind the instruments used in making not only duplicate AK series rifles but also pistols of different makes.”
While you can laugh at the AK being called “sophisticated”, the fact is that is a capable, albeit simple, modern weapon that can hold its own on the battlefield. That is can be easily built in a cave means it is not going to disappear from the battlefield for a very long time.
[ Many thanks to Mehul for emailing me the link. ]
I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!
More by Steve Johnson
Comments
Join the conversation
not to mention fully automatic weapons blow if you are a guerilla trying to survive.
steve, you are right. during WWII, the Soviet army discovered the submachine gun was more effective in the hands of untrained troops than any rifle. Instances of cheap, easy-to-produce automatic weapons are the Sten and PPS43, which can be manufactured in a car garage or basement.