The Taliban Are Ditching AK-47s for Captured U.S. M16 Rifles
By
Peter Suciu
Published
In the latter half of the Cold War, there was a longstanding debate whether the Soviet-made AK-47 was superior to the American-made M16. There were plenty of reasons why insurgents around the world preferred the AK-47 – it required less maintenance and could function in the most rugged conditions. However, the M16 was seen as more accurate and had a superior range.
The debate may now be put to rest as the Taliban have been seen swapping out the long-used Kalashnikov AK-47 for captured M16 rifles and M4 carbines that had been discarded by Afghan Army troops. In addition to being more accurate, another factor could be the age of the AKs, which could date back to the Afghan-Soviet War that ended in 1989.
Out with the old and in with the new – and likely never fired, based on how quickly the Afghan military collapsed.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/the-taliban-are-ditching-ak-47s-for-captured-u-s-m16-rifles/
