Published 3 years ago
Without TOW missiles readily available, members of the First Coastal Division resort to a cheaper Chinese knock-off ATGM to continue putting in work against SAA positions.
For the record, the guys who published this video are amongst the OGs of ATGM use in Syria. In fact, they're right up there with Abu TOW when it comes right down to the raw numbers of how many targets they've effectively suppressed or destroyed using anti-tank guided missile systems. Their videos are also largely responsible for the widespread adoption of ATGM systems throughout the greater Middle East. Let me explain.
This video was published by the storied FSA unit known as the First Coastal Division. Early on in the Syrian Civil War, there was a CIA initiative which put TOW missile systems into the hands of certain vetted and trusted Free Syrian Army units. These TOW missile systems were tracked through video recordings. Once the missile was issued, another would not be issued to replace the weapon system until video-graphic proof of the weapon system's use was presented to the CIA operatives issuing them. The First Coastal Division was one of these vetted groups.
Never one to miss out on an opportunity to showcase their work, the FSA's First Coastal Division took the videos to YouTube and Telegram where the videos quickly spread amongst other units and factions working for and with the FSA. The effectiveness and devastation caused by the ATGM systems made it so that other groups inside of Syria also wanted ATGMs they could use to replace their sniper rifles. Not being able to clear the vetting process of the CIA, many of these less than friendly groups took to the black market to get their hands on ATGMs. Enter systems like the 9m113 Konkurs and 9k11 Fagot which were easily sourced through the same channels as a majority of their other explosives.
Once the TOW missile chain ran dry, the First Coastal Division also transitioned to these weapons systems, which is what we're seeing in this video. A black market 9k11 Fagot.
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