POTD: Colourful Afghan National Army M16A2
Stars and Stripes recently ran a story about an embed with Afghan National Army troops operating in a number of provinces. One of the photos taken by the author, J.P. Lawrence, immediately caught my eye for obvious reasons. It features a young ANA soldier, on guard in Logar Province, armed with an M16A2, with some aesthetic improvements. It’s not uncommon for Afghan soldiers and security forces to decorate their rifles colourfully but I wouldn’t want to take point with this soldier’s rifle.
The ANA soldier’s rifle is covered in brightly coloured, and slightly reflective tape. On the buttstock, the tape holds a ring of cartridges in place (artistic license or improved cheek weld? who knows). The red and green tape matches Afghan national colours but does clash slightly with the soldier’s nail varnish. Check out the article and some other photos here.
Managing Editor: TheFirearmBlog.com & Overt Defense.com. Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. Matt is also runs The Armourer's Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms. Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news. Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
More by Matthew Moss
Comments
Join the conversation
Poor kid. I wonder if he still has the kevlar in his vest, or if it was sold off. Some of the ANA would strip the kevlar out of their vests and sell it, or they just didn't like the weight.
How much do we spend on them and he looks like a redneck milita.