Latest news with #M4A1
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Taliban launches warped Afghan TOURISM campaign with vid of brutes posing beside ‘hostage' in ISIS-style mock execution
AFGHANISTAN has launched a bizarre video campaign to attract tourists - including a chilling hostage video. The slick professionally produced video starts with footage of a hooded man surrounded by armed men in an Advertisement 10 The video begins with what initially resembles a heinous execution video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 But when the bag is lifted, a man is smiling with his thumbs-up and says in an American accent 'welcome to Afrghanistan' Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 An American 'tourist' appears in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 One even shows a man waving a gun while swimming Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Five men holding gargantuan machine guns are seen eerily standing over three prisoners, with their The leader is heard saying: "We have one message for America." The hood is then snatched off before he grins: 'Welcome to The weird promotional ad then focuses on gunmen in the back of pick-up trucks amid rugged scenery alongside a group of American tourists. Advertisement read more news Pictures of armed Mujahideen warriors whose weapons are emblazoned with the words 'fake gun" are shown. And the group are seen diving into lakes, eating extravagant meals, standing under waterfalls and taking pictures with presumably confused children. One chilling clip shows an American holding a US Army-issue M4A1 carbine. This was the weapon predominantly used by American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun It comes as no surprise that women have no role in the vile video. It currently remains unknown whether the video is connected to official Afghani institutions. Terrifying bodycam shows moment driver pulls gun & shoots cops at point-blank range after ranting about the Taliban Taliban mullahs desperate to soften their terrifying image are behind the tourist marketing video, shared across social media by in Arabic (@afghanarabc). The Taliban began their drive to make Afghanistan a tourist hotspot in spring 2024, with a tourism and hotel management school opened. Advertisement Since then, social media channels have worked to promote the country's history as a way to lure in holidaymakers. Last month, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal said: "The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them. "Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them. "We are optimistic this sector will evolve into a large economy, bringing significant benefits. It plays an important role in strengthening our national economy." Advertisement Nearly a whopping 9,000 foreign tourists visited the country last year alone, while nearly 3,000 visited in the first three months of 2025, Jamal said. He refused to answer questions about the Taliban's treatment of women, however. 10 Taliban members paddle in a boat as they and Afghan families enjoy a visit to one of the lakes in Band-e Amir national park Credit: Getty 10 The video features American holidaymakers as they go on various activities Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Advertisement 10 It comes as no surprise that women weren't featured in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 The Taliban have made desperate efforts to attract tourists Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Jamal added: "Those who respect our laws and traditions have already come and can continue to come." Since US forces withdrew in 2022, has been under the boot of the extremist regime. Advertisement In the Taliban-controlled country, women are unable to leave the house without a man, speak in public or even look through a window while home. The Afghanistan government's strict "virtue and vice" laws force women to stop doing various things in public, like showing their face and bodies, singing or reading aloud, and looking at men they are not related to. Women in the country are also no longer able to visit national parks or beauty salons, play sports or even go solo travelling beyond the perimeter of their houses due to sickening morality laws. Some social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are beginning to show travel guides for Afghanistan, predominantly created by female travel from countries like the UK, Australia and Hungary. Advertisement The Foreign Office warns against all travel to the nation and the heightened risk of detention. 10 One man even records himself under a waterfall for the bizarre video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 Various clips are shown in the video to promote Afghanistan Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc
Scottish Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Taliban launches warped Afghan TOURISM campaign with vid of brutes posing beside ‘hostage' in ISIS-style mock execution
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AFGHANISTAN has launched a bizarre video campaign to attract tourists - including a chilling hostage video. The slick professionally produced video starts with footage of a hooded man surrounded by armed men in an ISIS-style execution. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 The video begins with what initially resembles a heinous execution video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 But when the bag is lifted, a man is smiling with his thumbs-up and says in an American accent 'welcome to Afrghanistan' Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 An American 'tourist' appears in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 One even shows a man waving a gun while swimming Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Five men holding gargantuan machine guns are seen eerily standing over three prisoners, with their heads covered with black bags. The leader is heard saying: "We have one message for America." The hood is then snatched off before he grins: 'Welcome to Afghanistan.' The weird promotional ad then focuses on gunmen in the back of pick-up trucks amid rugged scenery alongside a group of American tourists. read more news DOWN THE BARREL Driver pulls gun & shoots cops at point blank range after Taliban rant Pictures of armed Mujahideen warriors whose weapons are emblazoned with the words 'fake gun" are shown. And the group are seen diving into lakes, eating extravagant meals, standing under waterfalls and taking pictures with presumably confused children. One chilling clip shows an American holding a US Army-issue M4A1 carbine. This was the weapon predominantly used by American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It comes as no surprise that women have no role in the vile video. It currently remains unknown whether the video is connected to official Afghani institutions. Terrifying bodycam shows moment driver pulls gun & shoots cops at point-blank range after ranting about the Taliban Taliban mullahs desperate to soften their terrifying image are behind the tourist marketing video, shared across social media by in Arabic (@afghanarabc). The Taliban began their drive to make Afghanistan a tourist hotspot in spring 2024, with a tourism and hotel management school opened. Since then, social media channels have worked to promote the country's history as a way to lure in holidaymakers. Last month, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal said: "The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them. "Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them. "We are optimistic this sector will evolve into a large economy, bringing significant benefits. It plays an important role in strengthening our national economy." Nearly a whopping 9,000 foreign tourists visited the country last year alone, while nearly 3,000 visited in the first three months of 2025, Jamal said. He refused to answer questions about the Taliban's treatment of women, however. 10 Taliban members paddle in a boat as they and Afghan families enjoy a visit to one of the lakes in Band-e Amir national park Credit: Getty 10 The video features American holidaymakers as they go on various activities Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 It comes as no surprise that women weren't featured in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 The Taliban have made desperate efforts to attract tourists Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Jamal added: "Those who respect our laws and traditions have already come and can continue to come." Since US forces withdrew in 2022, Afghanistan has been under the boot of the extremist Taliban regime. In the Taliban-controlled country, women are unable to leave the house without a man, speak in public or even look through a window while home. The Afghanistan government's strict "virtue and vice" laws force women to stop doing various things in public, like showing their face and bodies, singing or reading aloud, and looking at men they are not related to. Women in the country are also no longer able to visit national parks or beauty salons, play sports or even go solo travelling beyond the perimeter of their houses due to sickening morality laws. Some social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are beginning to show travel guides for Afghanistan, predominantly created by female travel influencers from countries like the UK, Australia and Hungary. The Foreign Office warns against all travel to the nation and the heightened risk of detention. 10 One man even records himself under a waterfall for the bizarre video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc
New York Post
11-06-2025
- New York Post
US Army rolls out $13M smart rifle scopes that auto-target and take down enemy drones in combat
The US Army is giving its soldiers a high-tech edge in the fight against drones, and it's called SMASH. During a live-fire training exercise on June 6 in Germany, a soldier with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment used the SMASH 2000L smart scope mounted on an M4A1 rifle to target drones in the sky. The demo was part of Project Flytrap, a multinational training event. The SMASH 2000L, made by Israeli company Smart Shooter Ltd., is no ordinary sight. It uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track targets and decides the perfect time to fire, according to reporting from Army Recognition. Once a drone is locked in, the system controls the trigger and only fires when a hit is guaranteed. In May, the Army awarded Smart Shooter a $13 million contract to begin delivering these scopes to troops under its Transformation In Contact (TIC 2.0) program. The goal is to quickly get new, useful tech into soldiers' hands. The smart scope weighs about 2.5 pounds and fits onto standard-issue rifles. 3 A soldier with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, tested a SMASH 2000L smart scope mounted on an M4A1 rifle during a training exercise on June 6. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña It has already been used by NATO partners and tested in combat zones. In the ongoing Ukraine war, both sides use less expensive drones to drop explosives or spy on troops. In Israel, terrorists have flown quadcopters into military positions. These small drones are fast, quiet, and deadly. 3 The smart scope helps target drones in the sky. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña 3 Rifles with this new technology only fire when a hit is guaranteed. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña Until now, stopping drones often meant using big, complex systems but SMASH changes that. With SMASH, a single soldier can knock a drone out of the sky without needing backup. The Army did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sig Sauer's XM7 Rifle Gets Army's Seal Of Approval Despite Controversy
Sig Sauer's controversial 6.8x51mm XM7 service rifle has now received a formal standard type classification, with the official designation changing to M7. This is a vote of confidence for the weapon weeks after an Army captain publicly criticized the rifle as potentially unsafe, ineffective, and overly expensive, claims that the service and Sig Sauer subsequently vehemently rebutted. You can read more about that in our deep dive here. Along with the M7, Sig Sauer's XM250 light machine gun (now designated the M250) achieved Type Classification-Standard status, the Army announced yesterday. The service described this as a 'major program milestone' for the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program, which includes both guns, as well as the XM157 computerized optic and the accompanying family of 6.8x51mm ammunition. This new status means the weapons meet 'the Army's stringent standards for operational performance, safety, and sustainment,' per the Army. 'This milestone reflects our commitment to delivering cutting-edge capabilities that give our Soldiers the tactical advantage and lethality required on the battlefield,' said Col. Jason Bohannon, Project Manager Soldier Lethality. 'We remain focused on equipping our force with the most reliable and effective tools to ensure mission success.' The new classification for these weapons ensures that they are 'acceptable for Army use prior to spending procurement funds at the Full-Rate Production Decision Review,' Alton E. Stewart, an Army spokesman, told TWZ Wednesday afternoon. It 'satisfies DoD requirement to designate when a system is approved for service use.' Army combat experiences from the Global War on Terror, especially operations in Afghanistan, where reports often emerged of U.S. forces being outranged, helped drive the core requirement for guns firing larger rounds that offer greater range and terminal ballistic performance. Concerns about improving adversary body armor were also a factor. The M7 and the M250, respectively, are set to replace a significant portion of the M4A1 carbines and M249 Squad Automatic Weapons (SAW) now in Army service. Both the M4A1 and M249 are chambered to fire the 5.56x45mm cartridge. As we previously explained, the M7 is 'a 6.8x51mm version of Sig Sauer's increasingly popular MCX Spear family of rifles. Though Sig's MCX family is a separate development, the core design is derived from the AR-15/M16 pattern family of rifles, and upper receivers from certain versions of the former can be directly paired with lower receivers from the latter with the help of an adapter. The overall configurations of guns in both families are very similar, as are the basic ergonomics and control arrangements.' 'MCX rifles notably use a gas piston operating mechanism rather than the direct impingement method found on AR-15/M16 types. Direct impingement (DI) involves propellant gases directly blowing into the main action to cycle it, which can more quickly lead to fouling on key components without regular cleaning. Piston systems that keep gas away from a gun's internal works can offer improved overall reliability in certain circumstances, although they tend to be heavier than their DI counterparts.' The Army's new designation of these weapons won't affect how they are being fielded, Stewart told us, but it serves to further rebut a scathing critique by Army Capt. Braden Trent. He presented his findings, which come from an unclassified student thesis, at the annual Modern Day Marine exposition in Washington, D.C., on April 29. The Army infantry officer did his work while attending the Expeditionary Warfare School, part of the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. What is now designated the M7 has suffered from serious reliability and other issues, including having cartridge cases 'ripped apart by the internal pressure of the system,' excessive barrel wear, and regular breakages of key components, Trent stated. He claimed that these problems, together with a host of other factors, including the weight and recoil of the rifle, make the gun 'unfit' for its intended purpose. Trent said he observed and/or learned of several other serious technical issues after being given the chance to interview 'over 150 soldiers, maintainers, and leaders,' as well as inspect a sample set of 23 XM7 rifles, all from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The brigade's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment was the first operational Army unit to begin receiving XM7s and the rest of the NGSW family of systems. In an interview with TWZ on the symposium's show floor, Sig Sauer vociferously pushed back on Trent's assertions. 'I believe that Captain Trent had some shortcomings and difficulties in understanding the totality of the NGSW program and some significant blind spots into the progress that the NGSW program has made over the last let's call it 24 months,' Jason St. John, senior director of strategic products for the Defense Strategies Group at Sig Sauer, told us. 'By him not having any clarity on any of the engineering change proposal efforts, and understanding of the 101st [Airborne Division's] fielding efforts, the actual pacing of the program … and really the ongoing product improvement efforts that the program office and Sig Sauer are doing in concert with each other, really clouded his perspective, and I believe his opinions that he represented. There are significant misrepresentations and holes in those statements [that he made].' In 2022, the Army awarded Sig Sauer a 10-year, $20.4 million initial production contract to produce M7s and M250s, following a 27-month evaluation of three competing weapon systems. By that point, more than 500 soldiers, Marines, and special operators had conducted a combined 20,000 hours of testing as part of the NGSW program, according to the Army. As of last year, the Army said its 'acquisition objectives' included the purchase of 111,428 M7s and 13,334 M250s. 'It's an exciting day for everyone involved, whether that is Sig Sauer, the U.S. Army as a whole, and especially the soldiers, who can have confidence that they are being equipped to enhance their mission success and truly possess tactical superiority in their small arms,' St. John told us Wednesday afternoon in an email. There is the possibility that other branches of the U.S. military could adopt the M7 in the future. At Modern Day Marine in April, the service noted that it had just recently completed an evaluation of the NGSW family of systems and had begun processing the results to determine what, if any, steps forward will be taken. For now, the primary arm of the Marines remains the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR), which is, in turn, a variant of the HK416. The HK416 is a gas-piston derivative of the AR-15/M16 series. It is unclear whether or how the Army's type classification decision might affect the Marines' plans. We have reached out to the Corps and will update this story with any pertinent information provided. The Army is now continuing to move ahead with its plans to field what are now designated the M7 rifle and M250 light machine gun. Contact the author: howard@
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Army infantry officer calls new XM7 ‘unfit for use as a modern service rifle'
An Army infantry officer has made a series of criticisms of the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle, which is meant to replace the M4A1 carbine. The Army introduced the XM7 rifle and XM250 light machine gun — both of which chamber a 6.8mm round — partly due to concerns that modern body armor could stop the 5.56mm rounds fired by the M4A1 and M249. The bigger round is also meant to give the XM7 an increased range based on lessons from Afghanistan. But Army Capt. Braden Trent presented his research into the XM7 at the Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C. — research he claims shows that the rifle is inferior to the M4A1. As part of his research, Trent said he visited the 1st Brigade Combat Team 'Bastogne,' 101st Airborne Division, which was the first active-duty Army unit to receive the XM7. Trent said he interviewed more than 150 soldiers and disassembled 23 XM7 rifles. His 52-page report on the subject, which included testing with experts, ballistic research, and input from soldiers, concluded that the XM7 is 'unfit for use as a modern service rifle,' Trent said on April 29 during his presentation at Modern Day Marine. Trent said his research has shown that soldiers equipped with the XM7 in a live-fire exercise quickly run out of ammunition because its magazine only holds 20 rounds. He also said that gouges and scratches can form in the barrel after firing more than 2,000 rounds, the rifle's weight makes it hard for soldiers to maneuver. Trent also said that soldiers told him that nearly all of their engagements in a military exercise were taking place within 300 meters, negating the XM7's advantage at longer ranges, he said. 'The XM7 is a tactically outdated service rifle that would be better classified as a designated marksman rifle, if that,' Trent said during his presentation. 'This rifle is a mechanically unsound design that will not hold up to sustained combat on a peer-on-peer conflict.' However, a representative of Sig Sauer, which the Army selected in 2022 to build the Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle and machine gun, disputed Trent's findings. 'We have a very large staff of individuals that work daily on that rifle to ensure that every aspect of its performance is scrutinized, every aspect of its safety is criticized,' said Jason St. John, the senior director of strategic products for Sig Sauer. 'We are highly confident that we have provided the U.S. Army soldier with a very robust weapon system that is not only safe, but it performs at the highest levels.' St. John said he did not want to issue a point-by-point rebuttal for all of Trent's conclusions 'because most of them are patently false.' David H. Patterson, Jr., a spokesman for Program Executive Office Soldier, also said that the Next Generation Squad Weapon is well suited for close combat. Specifically, the weapon 'provides greater effects within 300 meters,' he said. 'As the secretary of the Army and chief of staff highlighted in their Army Transformation Initiative memo to the force, 'Yesterday's weapons will not win tomorrow's wars,'' Patterson wrote in an email on Monday to Task & Purpose. 'The Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program provides unmatched lethality to our Close Combat Force (CCF). The Army is committed to accepting soldier feedback and enhancing weapons for optimal use.' Trent is currently a student at the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Warfare School and was presenting his personal views on the subject, and his research for the school's fellowship program is not sponsored or endorsed by the Army, Marine Corps, or Defense Department, according to his research paper, which was obtained by Task & Purpose. In a statement provided by a Marine Corps spokesman, Trent said he was selected by the Expeditionary Warfare School to conduct a fellowship project on small arms lethality that focused on the XM7. 'The project began as a fact-finding effort to evaluate how the XM7 enhances soldier lethality,' Trent said in the statement. 'The goal was to provide unclassified, accessible information to soldiers and leaders to support informed decision-making at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels when employing the new system to maximize lethality.' Trent is scheduled to graduate from the Expeditionary Warfare School on Thursday as a Distinguished Graduate, and he is also the recipient of the Yeosock Memorial Award for the best sister service writing project at Marine Corps University, according to the Marine Corps. The Modern Day Marine exhibition encourages collaboration and the sharing of ideas, especially among noncommissioned officers and company grade officers who use some weapons and systems showcased at the exhibition, said Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Nick Mannweiler. 'While it remains solely his personal opinion, Capt. Trent's presentation exemplifies the type of dialogue and feedback we wanted with student presentations,' Mannweiler wrote in an email to Task & Purpose. 'This is what the profession of arms looks like.' In his research project, Trent wrote that his paper is 'in no way intended to disparage the United States Army, acquisitions personnel, or private contractors/manufacturers.' Trent also wrote that the Army can still 'rectify the decision to adopt the XM7,' adding that soldiers deserve to go into battle knowing they have been given the best weapons available. 'They deserve to be given a weapon that is safe and efficient to operate,' Trent wrote. 'They deserve a rifle capable of providing the fire superiority they need to close with and destroy the enemy. The men and women of the infantry have always fought at the fullest extent of their capabilities, willing to achieve victory at the price of 'the last full measure of devotion.' The Army must continue to provide them with weapons capable of matching that devotion.' The most serious problem Trent said he noticed was that some XM7 rifles developed a scratch or gouge in their barrel after firing more than 2,000 rounds, Trent said. 'This can lead to all kinds of problems with accuracy and safety, and I recommend a full investigation by those who are more qualified — engineers with bore scopes, etc, that I did not have available with me during my time at 1st Brigade,' Trent said. In his project paper, Trent wrote, 'Surface damage to the rifling was visible to the eye at the same location on rifles that had exceeded the 2,000 round count.' But St. John said Trent's findings on gouges and scratches in the XM7's rifle barrel were based on a superficial examination of the weapon. 'Capt. Trent looked down a barrel naked eye, didn't use a boroscope, didn't use any gauging to determine if there was any sort of erosive nature to that weapon system, is indistinct in his ability to say what he witnessed other than he believes by naked eye looking down a barrel with natural light that he witnessed some issues,' St. John said. According to St. John, the XM7 can fire more than 10,000 rounds before the barrel fails — twice the program's requirement. Patterson, the Army spokesperson, said the service fired more than 20,000 rounds per barrel while testing the XM7 and found that the rifle's performance and accuracy were not affected. Another issue raised by Trent is the 20-round capacity of the XM7's magazine, compared with the M4A1, which has a 30-round magazine. If soldiers armed with both weapons are expected to carry seven magazines into battle as part of their universal basic load, or UBL, soldiers with M4A1 carbines would carry 210 rounds while soldiers armed with the XM7 would have 140 rounds, Trent said at Modern Day Marine. 'Now again, a 70-round difference may not seem significant, but to the soldier in the fight, it absolutely is a difference, not to mention that every magazine added to the XM7 — each 20-round loaded magazine — adds another 1.25 pounds to the soldier's load, meaning that if troops equipped with the XM7 tried to match their old UBLs, they're going to have even more weight being carried,' Trent said. Indeed, during a company live-fire exercise that he observed, a platoon of soldiers armed with XM7s tasked with suppressing an objective while other soldiers could maneuver, burned through their ammunition quickly, Trent said. 'Within 10 minutes, the platoon I observed was almost completely out of ammunition after starting the engagement,' Trent said. 'And by 15 minutes, their ability to produce effective suppression had become almost zero. This is after having taken spare magazines for the XM7 from radio operators, medics, platoon leadership, etc.' When asked about the exercise in which soldiers ran out of ammunition, St. John said Sig Sauer has no opinion about how the Army uses the XM7. 'That's way outside of our realm,' St. John said. 'How the Army trains, how the Army utilizes it, what the Army's tactics, techniques, and procedures are, that's way beyond Sig Sauer's opinion level. We're in the delivering firearms business.' Patterson said the Army has conducted several different exercises that looked at how much ammunition soldiers armed with the XM7 use. 'Following the completion of the exercises, there was enough ammunition remaining to conduct a follow-on action,' Patterson said. Patterson also said there is no doctrine dictating a 'Universal Combat Load.' The Army's Training Publication for infantry platoons and squads says that a platoon's basic load depends on the mission and may be determined by the unit's leader or standard operating procedure. 'The unit basic load includes supplies kept by the platoon for use in combat,' the publication says. 'The quantity of most unit basic load supply items depends on how many days in combat the platoon might have to sustain itself without resupply. For Class V ammunition, the higher commander or [standard operating procedure] specifies the platoon's basic load.' UPDATE 1: 05/06/2025; this story was updated with information from the Army about exercises involving how much ammunition soldiers armed with the XM7 used and who determines how much ammunition platoons carry as part of their unit's basic load. UPDATE 2: 05/06/2025; this story was updated with a statement from Army Capt. 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