With an estimated 100-million units in circulation worldwide, the AK-pattern rifle has been involved in essentially every major conflict of the last 70 years. For this feature, we look at one of the more common places to encounter an AK in the post-Sept. 11 world: in the hands of local soldiers and militias being trained and supported by U.S. forces. A staple of America’s asymmetric warfare policy is building up indigenous forces with training and weapons, giving them (at least in theory) the capability to defend themselves and maintain stability after U.S. withdrawal.
Recent history has, unfortunately, shown us beyond any shadow of a doubt that there are some flaws in the system. Regardless, it has given birth to a unique class of AK. Despite being funded and equipped by the United States, many of these host-nation forces (also referred to as Partner Forces by some) are still carrying AKs, as opposed
