Two Turkish Soldiers out in the open in Afrin just barely dodge an ATGM shot that could have easily killed them both. This is the future of ground warfare in the Middle East.

The video you're looking at here isn't old by any means. It was recorded on February 2, 2022 in Afrin, Syria. The ATGM team was the group that released the video, and they're part of an organization that calls themselves the Afrin Liberation Forces. The exact make and model of the ATGM used is unknown, but most likely it's either the 9k111 Fagot or the 9M113 Konkurs as those are the two most commonly used ATGM systems throughout the Middle East currently.

For almost a decade now, I've been standing on the soap box here at Funker530 screaming about how ATGMs are going to be one of the largest threats on the ground in the Middle Eastern area of operations. The weapon systems have proven to be insanely effective for the rebel forces who frequent those areas, as they act as an easy-mode sniper rifle where the crew can guide the round into its target. We've seen hundreds of these videos released, and still not much has been done to prepare ground troops and regular combat vehicles to defeat the systems.

Fortunately for the Turkish Soldiers on the wrong-end of this video, the ATGM is not the greatest anti-personnel weapon. Had these guys been in a vehicle, there's no chance they would have had any warning that the shot was coming in on them. They also would have been in an enclosed space surrounded by armor, which is exactly they type of target this weapon system wants to make contact with. In the open, you'll have a couple seconds of warning if you're not looking in the incoming direction. If you're looking in the incoming direction, you could have as much as five to eight seconds to get out of the way.

According to the Turks, neither of these guys were seriously wounded by this strike. That's simply because they happened to spot the weapon system coming in. Had they not, I suspect they might both be dead instead of just in the hospital.