Islamic State used weapons made in the communist Hungary

Hungary is 4th on the list of top manufacturing countries of ISIS weaponry. According to Weapons of the Islamic State, a report published by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), our country follows China, Romania and Russia. However, most of the arms were manufactured during the communist era. After the regime collapsed, Hungary gave them to the Iraqi Army a couple of years ago as NATO-supplies. The report is based on a three-year-long investigation in Iraq and Syria. Here is Index.hu’s summary.

112 “Hungarian Kalasnyikovs” reached Islamic State

To start with, CAR ‘generates unique evidence on weapon supplies into armed conflicts to inform and support effective weapon management and control.’ Their actual report is the result of a more than three years long field investigation into the Islamic State supply chains. Thus, it presents

an analysis of more than 40,000 items recovered from the group between 2014 and 2017.

These items encompass weapons, ammunition, and the traceable components, chemical precursors used by the group to manufacture improvised explosive devices.

According to the report, they found altogether 132 weapons manufactured in Hungary, 66 in Iraq and 66 in Syria. This means that

Hungary produced 7.21pc of the weapons the Islamic State fought with and which were found later.

Most of the arms, altogether 112 pieces are AK-63F assault rifles with serial numbers that are close in sequence. In fact, the gun is the Hungarian copy of the Soviet AKM assault rifle.

https://www.statista.com/chart/12330/where-isis-gets-its-weapons/

Arms disappeared after the change of the regimes from former communist countries

It was FÉG that produced the rifle during the communist era. However, there was so many of them that

Hungary gave it as NATO-supply to the Iraqi Army before.

Many suggested that ISIS terrorists took these arms, but so far there was no evidence.

According to the report, the relative majority of the weapons came from China, altogether 797 pieces which mean 43.5pc. Romania and Russia follow the Far-Eastern great power from where ISIS got mostly Kalashnikov rifles. According to the list, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia and East Germany are next.

Clearly, the report states that these were all communist countries and members of the Warsaw Pact before. However,

after the change of the regimes in the early 90s many weapons just vanished from these countries. 

Chart: statista – Conflict Armament Research

Source: index.hu, Daily News Hungary