Deadly New Improvised Weapon Threatens US Troops

US efforts to choke off the flow of imported munitions to Iraqi insurgents may have backfired. Resistance groups are reported to have replaced their aging AK-47s with ingenious new home-made weapons that can be manufactured by traditional village craftsmen using commonly available materials. The weapons, fabricated from bar stock, old transmission parts, and broken furniture, even use locally manufactured ammunition, emphasizing the fierce independence of the Iraqi fighters.

The improvised fire-arm's projectile is cast from old wheel weights and fishing sinkers. It is said to be up to ten times as heavy as the bullets fired by the high-tech American M-16, first adopted during the disastrous war in Vietnam.
"Yeah, if one of them suckers hit you, you would probably be dead," admitted Specialist Dimbert Remf, a data entry clerk with MNF-Baghdad's local contracting office.

For propellant, the new insurgent weapons replace expensive imported powder with a simple mixture of widely available chemicals, including ordinary charcoal. The charge is ignited by a simple and environmentally sound combination of flint and steel of the same kind used by indigenous peoples for centuries. The propellant has the added advantage of concealing the user in a dense cloud of whitish smoke when fired. The new weapons are reportedly accurate enough to hit American M-1 tanks at ranges up to 50 meters.