Kurt T

About the author

Spent 4 years with the United States Marine Corps and an additional 3 years with the Kurdish Peshmerga and Ukrainian Army.

Two Seattle men charged after attempting to smuggle guns into Turkey

Two local residents of Seattle, Washington are facing weapons trafficking charges after authorities intercepted them attempting to smuggle guns into Turkey. According to reports, the men were going to smuggle the guns over the Turkish border and into the hands of Kurdish fighters in Iraq. Paul Brunt (51) and Rawnd Khaleel Aldalawi (29 and an […]

Ukraine’s choice in new service rifle sends a clear message to Russia.

While Russia has chosen their new line of service weapons and gone with the latest in the Kalashnikov series of rifles, Ukraine has gone a different route. Ukraine has opted for a modernized version of the American designed M4 carbine, designating it the M4-WAC47. During the testing and evaluation, it will be determined if Ukraine’s […]

Peshmerga are Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Himanshu Gulati, a lawmaker for Norway from the country’s Progressive Party, has nominated the Kurdish Peshmerga forces to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. the nomination is attributed to the Peshmerga‘s efforts in fighting the Islamic State. In an interview with a local Norwegian newspaper, Gulati said, “The Peshmerga have been crucial to the fact we have […]

1st and 2nd Peshmerga Brigades re-unify for first time after Kirkuk fallout

A lot of stuff has transpired in Iraqi Kurdistan over the last few months and the turn over of Kirkuk to Iraqi forces has left the Peshmerga in disarray. Finally, two of the Peshmerga’s infantry brigades have officially been reunited as they were separated over 100 days ago when the offensive for Kirkuk began. 1st […]

Chin vs. cheek weld in close quarters marksmanship

Most shooters will tell you that proper cheek-weld, in its general universally understood form, is paramount for acceptable marksmanship. While this is for the most part accurate and essential for developing the fundamentals of marksmanship, especially in new shooters and at extended ranges, I’m going to dare to challenge the narrative here at the risk […]

Interview with an American YPG fighter: Straight Outta Raqqa

Kurt: Who are you and what’s your background besides YPG? Mitchell: Mitchell Clark — I have a pretty typical small town AmericanAmericanAmerican story. I grew up playing football and got really serious about it in high school. I was planning on going to college to play, but I had a severe shoulder injury that pretty […]

YPG foreign fighters arrive in Afrin to fight Turkey

When the battle for Raqqa concluded, many of the foreign fighters that had inserted themselves into the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ranks, primarily into the Kurdish YPG, returned home as the Islamic State in caliphate form was no more. Now, as Turkey attacks the Kurdish held city of Afrin, it seems the remaining few have emerged […]

Kurdish PM refuses to send Peshmerga to defend Afrin

In a recent interview, Kurdish prime minister of the KDP (Kurdish Diplomatic Party) and former president Masoud Barzani said, “The deployment of the Peshmerga to help their fellow Kurds in Afrin against Turkey’s military operation will not help solve the problem.” The conflict in Afrin has stirred up a lot of sympathy and support for […]

Slashing versus stabbing, knife tactics and their relevance

In combat marksmanship, shot placement is incredibly important and more often than not it is the determining factor in lethality. No matter the caliber of bullet or model of firearm, the location on the body where the round strikes determines how much damage is done with the exception of scenario-modifying circumstances. It is the same […]

Beards, tattoos and tactical pants: My first SHOT Show

I follow our small team of writers up an escalator and onto the plaza floor that holds one of the many levels for SHOT Show. It’s a sea of booths filled with the latest in “tactical innovations” that the industry has to offer. Weaving around each other like a massive army of ants, are the […]

The FSA is fighting the SDF… and the US trained and armed both

As Turkey has crossed a serious line despite objection from the international community, there is another battle happening within this struggle that no one seems to be noticing. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) is a CIA-funded, trained and supportedtrained and supportedtrained and supported militant group that has recently aligned itself with Turkey for the Purposes […]

SDF releases public statement in the face of Turkish aggression

In light of the recent attacks by Turkish forces on sovereign Kurdish land in the territories of Afrin and Manbij, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has released a public statement: We in the Syrian Democratic Forces are a peaceful movement focused on defeating Daesh and bringing stability to Syria consistent with UN […]