Re: Gun Non-Expert goes to Pakistan gun market
In July 1992 I visited the tribal areas of Pakistan to the southwest of Khyber pass. There with my own security detail I entered the town of Darra. It was not easy to get in and could only be done with the influence of a friend in Peshawar. At that time the warlords were busy destroying the entire country in the territorial grab after the Soviets had departed. The fighting was heavy and blunt. Millions of Afghans had fled the country to Pakistan to seek refuge. Darra was an interesting town and it was full of gun stores. Hundreds of small shops about 20 by 30 feet and each was jammed packed with guns, rpgs, swords, and even land-mines. Walking behind the shops I saw craftsmen hand making all types of guns. I was told any gun could be brought to them, it would be disassembled, parts copied and gun built. It looked questionable to me that the steel was of any decent quality as it was melted and poured into sand cast next to small smelter ovens. Mostly kids were doing the work. I remember thinking that the hand made guns were hardly trustworthy due to inferior metal work. Still when I picked up the completed items it was not easy to tell they were fully counterfeited. There were also real Soviet weapons there like the 12.7 rigs and RPGs. A kid asked me if I wanted to test fire the RPG and said it would be 7 bucks. I declined but many test firings of rifles went on during the couple of hours I was there. The Khyber pass is breathtaking and it was easy to see how a few hand full of men on the high ridge could stop an entire column of men coming through the narrow pass. It was an interesting trip but at that time our guys weren't there fighting so I was able to look at things like an intrepid tourist of sorts. Today I would say those weapon centers should be taken out totally, although I do not believe for all the weapons the video above claim are made, that they are the true substantive source of quality weapons. The Soviets left billions of dollars of goodies there and it is now being supplimented by the Iranians and Pakistan intelligence services. They have the most rugged mountains in Afghanistan I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few. God bless our brave men and women there.
