From Russia with love

Threat Matrix shows an interminable Taliban propaganda video with some interesting bits along the way, including the above screen shot of three Chechen fighters serving with the Taliban. (There were four in this immediate group.) "Arab" or foreign fighters joined the Chechens in their 1990s battles with the Russian army; now it seems Chechnya is exporting to Afghanistan. The website includes this quote from an American officer: "You can usually tell when they are in the area because accuracy of weapon systems goes up due to their extensive training and combat experience. You can also note almost all of them have a "special" weapon other then the AK-47 and wear a head band..... Specifically what got me was the grenade launcher on the AK-47. These are rarely used by Nuristanis due to the extreme lack of ammunition availability. Their kits also seem of higher quality where most of the Nuristani fighters use their pockets or the common green AK-47 front vest." Blue skies! -- Dan Ford