Weapons dealer Abu Wael has traded guns in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley since the last days of his country’s civil war, nearly a quarter of a century ago.
This has been his busiest year ever.
Unrest in neighbouring Syria has sent demand for weapons soaring, doubling prices for Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons and helping supply the increasingly well armed insurrection challenging President Bashar al-Assad.
Prices for Kalashnikovs have risen 75% to as much as $2,000 each, while M16s doubled to $2,500, reflecting the surge in demand for arms. The biggest jump was in the price of rocket-propelled grenades, which together with a launcher now cost $2,500 compared with $400 before, when demand was minimal.
“I buy weapons from Lebanese people and sell them to traders who in turn pass them on to Syrian merchants,” said 63-year-old Abu Wael, who declined to give his full name.
Business is booming all over. What do you think?
Yup, that's clearly a variant or derivative of the M-16. I'm not fond of the poodle shooter, so I can't give you more than that.
ReplyDeleteSo guns are being sold to Syrians. I wonder what that tells us is coming. . .
Non-violent revolution must be coming. We all know that an armed society is a polite society.
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps the threat of force will be enough to persuade Assad to give up.
ReplyDelete" Greg Camp said...
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps the threat of force will be enough to persuade Assad to give up.
November 29, 2011 5:55 AM"
Do you read or watch the news? The situation in Syria has been chaotic for quite some time. The Syrian army has shown little hesitation in indiscriminately killing its own citizens, whether they were insurgents or just occupying the same area as insurgents.
Absent intervention from the outside, Bashear Assad and his military will continue to do what they've been doing since Assad's father was on the throne.
Greg Camp said...
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps the threat of force will be enough to persuade Assad to give up.
Historically it has not been effective. NOT AT ALL.
It hasn't been effective ANYWHERE in the middle east. Peaceful protest has consistently been what united the countries, where there have been factions, including inducing the military to join their cause.
You persist in believing that armed force by people with their little silly stupid guns on their hip is the answer to everything, when it appears to be the actual solution to pretty much nothing.
That is delusional thinking, it is not critical or realistic thinking. It demonstrates that you truly DO consider your firearm a fetish item, an inanimate object/ magic wand.
Dog Gone,
ReplyDeleteYou must really hate the fact that the Libyans won. Yes, we acted as their air force, but they won the war.
Greg Camp:
ReplyDeleteThe Libyan anti-government forces were being pretty much crushed by Mallomar Quitedaffy's army and airforce. Absent NATO's intercession (primarily British and French troop assets with U.S. logisitics and C&C) they would have, at the very least, suffered many more dead and wounded.