M60 general-purpose machine gun

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency

Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Captured infantry machine-gun fire supportfire support

Boko Haram/JAS and ISWAP media showed rare M60 machine guns, including a reported example with Nigerian Army markings, indicating captured or diverted 7.62 mm belt-fed weapons reused for insurgent infantry fire support.

Colombian FARC Dissident Conflict

Side: FARC dissident groupsRole: Dissident-held infantry fire supportfire support

Colombian police reported seizing an M60 machine gun in a January 2023 arsenal they said belonged to Estado Mayor Central FARC dissidents, documenting the weapon as dissident-held fire-support equipment rather than confirmed battlefield firing.

Haitian Gang Conflict

Side: Armed gangsRole: Illicit heavy machine-gun firepowerfire support

UNODC told the Security Council in April 2024 that Haiti's gang attacks showed increased gang firepower and that UNODC had recorded use of higher-calibre weapons including the M60 machine gun.

M60 general-purpose machine gun Images

Related Weapon Systems

Infantry WeaponsFN FAL7.62 mm battle rifleThe FN FAL is a Belgian 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle designed by Fabrique Nationale after World War II and widely copied or license-produced. In the Battle of Marawi record, it appears as a recovered Maute-group weapon: Philippine forces reported three FAL rifles among firearms found after the urban fight.

Infantry WeaponsGalil assault rifleSelective-fire assault rifle familyThe Galil is an Israeli Kalashnikov-derived assault rifle family originally produced by Israel Military Industries and later modernized by Israel Weapon Industries as the Galil ACE line. Recent conflict reporting places Galil or Galil ACE rifles in irregular small-arms stocks from the Lake Chad Basin to FARC dissident operations in Colombia and trafficked gang arsenals in Haiti, where they appear as portable infantry weapons rather than heavy support systems.

Infantry Weapons.50-caliber / 12.7mm Heavy Machine GunCrew-served heavy machine gun.50-caliber and 12.7 mm heavy machine guns give infantry, vehicle crews, and security forces longer-range automatic fire than rifle-caliber machine guns. The best-known Western example is the M2 Browning family, a belt-fed, recoil-operated heavy machine gun used from ground mounts, vehicles, boats, and aircraft mounts. In the Battle of Marawi, Philippine reporting documents a caliber 50 heavy machine gun used by government forces for suppressive fire during urban fighting, while Nigerian reporting from the Boko Haram Insurgency documents a .50 inch Browning machine gun recovered from Boko Haram terrorists at Gombi in 2015.

Infantry WeaponsBeretta BM59 rifleBattle rifleThe Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle developed from the M1 Garand and chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. In Haiti's current gang conflict, open-source reporting has mentioned BM59 Beretta rifles among the firearms gangs use, but not enough to assign a narrower combat role from direct evidence.

Infantry WeaponsFN MAG general-purpose machine gun7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gunThe FN MAG is a Belgian belt-fed 7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed and originally manufactured by FN Herstal. In the Boko Haram Insurgency archive, it is represented through a 2021 report of Boko Haram deserters near Bama surrendering weapons that included an FN MAG, evidence of the gun's presence in insurgent small-arms stocks rather than a documented state transfer.

Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G37.62 mm select-fire battle rifleThe Heckler & Koch G3 is a roller-delayed 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle developed in West Germany from the CETME rifle family. Its long service life and licensed production have left G3-pattern rifles in multiple conflict arsenals, including documented Boko Haram small-arms holdings in the Lake Chad basin, RSF-held modified rifles in Sudan, and Saudi-linked G3 rifles reported in Yemen's fragmented arms environment.

Sources