Rebel’s gonna explode:
The primary source for doctored ammunition has been the Syrian government, which mixes exploding cartridges with ordinary rounds on the black markets through which rebels acquire weapons, the commanders said.
Check out the full story over at the New York Times.
Interesting practice. If this has been going on in all sorts of wars for as long as they say it has been, I wonder if there’s any risk shooting the military surplus ammo we all know and love? My guess is not, considering I’m not hearing about someones AK or Mosin Nagant blowing up daily. Kind of makes me uneasy though.
That dudes fingers are gnarly. I’m guessing that giving someone the “middle finger” isn’t considered offensive in that part of the world, because if it is, that guy better watch who he waves that right hand at.
Thoughts?
Comments
16 responses to “Booby-Trapped Syrian Ammunition”
During the Southeast Asian War Games the boys wearing the Girl Scout Hats used to sabotage both weapons and ammo but they made sure those things didn’t go to areas controlled or contested by allies. I think the Force Recon boys did the same but they kept secrets better than the Army. I do know that everyone I knew with a captured rifle tied a long string to the trigger, put the thing in a tire and pulled off a few rounds to make sure they didn’t have one of those rifles.
Peter, everything you’re talking about was in the book SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam. The US gave, indirectly, bogus ammunition to the NVA, and every so often a USGI would come across a body with an AK bolt stuck in its face.
And I’m supposed to feel bad about that.
I know I am because of the whole tone of the guys voice- like he’s trying to be Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now.
Just how CJ Chivers talks, he’s actually one of the best reporters out there for this sort of stuff
Sounds like an excellent plan that has been tested and used before, it is almost certain that only those fighting will be harmed unless a civilian for some reason decided to go target shooting. Even so this countries revolution is not our problem and should not be, considering the U.S. Government has yet to consider the repercussions of helping the “rebels” who may very well be linked to those willing to harm the U.S.
Only the NYT could try to make us feel sorry for some terrorist whose rifle explodes in his face while he’s trying to shoot an American soldier.
Damn. That’s nuts.
I remember hearing about this a while ago, being done during the Vietnam war by our side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Eldest_Son
i was going to say this has been going on since forever, treefroggys link kinda proves it
Dear sweet merciful crap, anyone know how to do this and want to drive around the hood dropping ammo?
In Syria the middle finger is probably recognized by most as a offensive gesture by Westerners, but the “thumbs up” gesture has the same symbolic meaning as the middle finger in most cultures in that area…and I can’t really tell if that is his thumb just really messed up or if they grafted a big toe on there…
During the second world war, czech arms factory workers commonly sabotaged everything from artillery to firearm cartridges, making them inert. So when a shell failed to explode or a german weapon had a failure-to-fire, GI’s would say “made in Czechoslovakia!”
Not a bad idea, ide say the government should expand this concept into the GWOT by supplying bomb vests that are only powerful enough to kill the bomber : D. Or boomarang rockets!
I think it would be a great idea to spam the muslim world with booby trapped mortar and rpg rounds. We would only kill terrorists or “enemy Combatants” and no innocents would be killed since they don’t use that stuff. Leave the 7.62×39 alone, since none of those terrorist A$%^&*#@ can hit anything.
True, Hajji cant hit much, but he’s most dangerous at close range, which is where our troops might appreciate some booby-trapped and/or dummy rounds while Achmed has a jam in mid burst. And perhaps the techies could create mortar rounds that return to sender.
He was warned about fingering ole Sally rottencrotch but did he listen noooo.