1/ Small thread about Mongolian involvement in the Iraq War (2003-2008).
2/ In 1258, the Mongol general Hulegu, a grandson of Genghis Khan, sacked Baghdad, killing 800,00 people and ending its importance as the largest city in the Arab world - In September 2003, Mongols would return to Iraq once again, but this time as peacekeepers.
3/ 173-strong Mongolian Force from the 150th Peacekeeping Battalion started its mission alongside Polish troops and acted under Polish command, later they would be switched to the US command. All of the troops deployed were volunteers.
4/ Mongolian troops were deployed at Camp Echo, Al-Qādisiyyah province, though their mission Mongolians mostly operated around Southern Iraq and Baghdad. Their roles mostly would be base security, patrols, and logistical duties.
5/ In total, around 1200 Mongolian troops went through Iraq. Mongolian mission would end in September 2008, without a single KIA for the Mongolian Military.
6/ More pictures of Mongolian Contigent in Iraq.
7/ More pictures
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1/ How many M48 Pattons are still in service around the world as of 2025? Thread.
2/ The first "true" MBT of the United States - M48 "Patton" was a very popular vehicle among NATO and other US allies, roughly 12,000 being built between 1951 and 1962. "The T-55 of the NATO", as a surprise to many, still continues to serve with countries worldwide.
3/ Sidenote - as you might understand, it is very hard to determine exact numbers of vehicles in service with different countries; most of the data is from open sources, some might be incorrect. Most of the time, "number of vehicles in service" refers to the actual number of vehicles possessed by a country in general, and not necessarily in active service. This is especially true for the older vehicles like the M48.
1/ Small arms field modifications during the Vietnam War, short thread.
2/ Since the evolution of small arms and light weapon systems, every conflict brought the same phenomenon - soldiers modifying weapons on the field to adapt to field conditions or make their operations easier. The same was true with the Vietnam war, especially on US/Allied side.
3/ I will try to dive into some of the modifications, as mentioned, most of the material will be from the US side, however, I will later try my best to find some pictures from the Northern side as well. As always, in the case of wrong information, feel free to correct.
2/ Throughout 1990s and early 2000s, the relatively peaceful and beautiful African nation of Liberia was devastated by a series of civil wars, seeing one of the most brutal and gut-wrenching violence in West Africa. I will take a brief look at small arms used during civil wars.
3/ Before the First Civil War, Armed Forces of Liberia mostly used Western Small Arms, Many M1 Garands and M2 Carbines were gifted to Nation after WW2. Liberia also bought M16A1 rifles from Colt, as well as FN FALs from Belgium, HK G3s were also imported from West Germany.
1/ Downing of Russian Air Force Tu-22M3 by Georgian Air Defence during 2008 Russo-Georgian war, thread.
2/ During the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, Georgian Air Defence scored one of the most impressive scores at that time - Russian strategic aviation Tu-22M3. There have been many speculations on what system was used or what were the circumstances of the downing.
3/ On the 8th of August 2008, as a complete surprise for the Georgian Political command, Russia declared intervention in the Georgian anti-terrorist operation in the Tkshinvali region, Russian Air Force began flying bombing/attacking sorties against Georgian positions.
1/ In this thread, I want to take a look at the origins and stories of some of the vehicles and military equipment present at the 9th of May Victory Day display in Moscow.
2/ Without a doubt, the most famous of those is Leopard 2A6, which was destroyed near Stepove, Donetsk Oblast around October 2023. After Ukrainian inability to recover vehicle for several months, it was recover by Russian forces around April 2024 and sent to Moscow.
3/ Another "Star" of the Russian show is the M1A1SA Abrams which was lost near Berdychi, Donetsk Oblast on the 5th of March 2024. The vehicle was completely destroyed by a mix of FPV, ATGM, and artillery fire. The wreck was recovered by Russian forces in April 2024.
1/ Taking a look at some of the equipment stored at the Ukrainian Shepetivka Repair Plant, 2014-18 period. Thread.
2/ Located in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Western Ukraine, the Shepetivka Repair Plant is one of the main enterprises of Ukroboronprom. The plant specializes in the repair, maintenance, and modernization of artillery systems. Hence, before 2014, the plant had quite impressive storage.
3/ One of the main "sights" of the SRP storage area was no doubt BM-30 "Smerch" long-range MLRS, around 3 were stored and later restored to service.