2014 War Against the Islamic State

DShK in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State

DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns are documented in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State through Amnesty International arms inventories covering Islamic State and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Unit arsenals in Iraq and Syria.

Weapon profileDShK
SideAnti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesIslamic StateRoleFire SupportForce ProtectionInsurgent / Guerrilla Use
DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - 2014 War Against the Islamic State
Image source: A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Caliber heavy machine gun

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns were positively identified in service with Islamic State during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Syria.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State

DShK-family variants were described by Amnesty as in use by parties to the conflicts across Iraq and Syria, including Islamic State.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State

PMU militia groups fighting IS were documented deploying Russian and Chinese DShK/DShKM heavy machine guns in verified photographs and videos from March 2015 through June 2016.

Sources: Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

The available public record supports fielding and deployment, not a precise DShK weapon count or a named firing incident.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State, Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

Timeline

DShK In 2014 War Against the Islamic State

  1. Amnesty lists DShK-family guns in Islamic State service

    Amnesty International published Taking Stock: The Arming of Islamic State, whose annex listed DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns among arms positively identified in IS service during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Syria.

    Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State

  2. PMU DShK/DShKM deployment evidence published

    Amnesty International published Turning a Blind Eye, reporting that ARES analysis of verified PMU imagery from March 2015 through June 2016 showed PMU groups deploying Russian and Chinese DShK/DShKM heavy machine guns.

    Sources: Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Amnesty International's 2015 report on Islamic State arms provides the direct Islamic State evidence for this conflict-use record. Its annex, based on Armament Research Services analysis for Amnesty, lists DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns among conventional arms positively identified in service with Islamic State during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Syria.

The same report states that variants of the Russian DShK heavy machine gun were in use by all parties to the conflicts across Iraq and Syria, including IS. For the Iraqi partner-force side, Amnesty's 2017 report on Popular Mobilization Units says verified photographs and videos showed PMU militia groups deploying Russian and Chinese DShK/DShKM heavy machine guns during the conflict against IS.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State, Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

Timeline

In December 2015, Amnesty published its Islamic State arms inventory, listing DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns in IS service and describing DShK-family variants across Iraq and Syria. The report does not provide a specific DShK firing incident, but it directly supports fielding and use by Islamic State in the Iraq-and-Syria campaign.

In January 2017, Amnesty published its PMU report. The report summarized ARES analysis of verified imagery from March 2015 through June 2016 and listed DShK and DShKM heavy machine guns among light weapons positively identified in service with PMU militia armed groups during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Syria.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State, Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

Battlefield role

The documented role was crew-served heavy machine-gun fire support, with the DShK family appearing on both Islamic State and anti-IS partner-force sides. The evidence base supports fielding by Islamic State and deployment by PMU militia groups, while the broader Amnesty wording indicates DShK-family use across the Iraq-and-Syria conflict environment.

The public sources used here do not establish a verified DShK count, a precise chain of custody, or a named battle in which an identified DShK was fired. The record therefore separates the Islamic State inventory evidence from the PMU imagery evidence and treats both as direct conflict-use support for fielded heavy machine guns rather than as a complete inventory of all DShK-family weapons in the war.

Sources: Amnesty Taking Stock Arming Islamic State, Amnesty Turning a Blind Eye PMU

Related Weapons by Role

DShKM heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsDShKM heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe DShKM is the Soviet postwar Model 38/46 modernization of the DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, retaining the DShK family's anti-aircraft, infantry-support, and vehicle-mount roles while replacing the earlier feed system. Sources document the DShK-1938/46 in Vietnam War anti-aircraft use, DShK-M capture and employment in the Soviet-Afghan War, DShK-M use by Ukrainian defenders, and DShK/DShKM variants in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal.
W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsW85 heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe W85 is a Chinese 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun associated with Norinco export channels and the QJC-88 vehicle-mounted variant. It is lighter than many older DShK-pattern heavy machine guns and can be used from tripod, pintle, vehicle, or improvised pickup mounts. Conflict reporting documents W85-family guns with ISWAP-linked forces in Nigeria, Ukrainian mobile anti-drone teams, YPG/SDF improvised armor in Syria, Iraqi PMU militias, and Wagner-linked imagery from Mali, while sources caution that export paths and quantities are often unclear.
RPK/RPK-74, Squad automatic weapon / light machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsRPK/RPK-74Squad automatic weapon / light machine gunThe RPK and RPK-74 are Kalashnikov-pattern squad automatic weapons that extend the AK family with a longer, heavier barrel, bipod, and higher-capacity magazines for infantry fire support. The 7.62 x 39 mm RPK paralleled the AKM, while the 5.45 x 39 mm RPK-74 followed the AK-74; Conflict Armament Research later documented both RPK and RPK-74 examples in Ukraine, and Amnesty International listed both types among Islamic State machine guns in Iraq and Syria.
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Sources