2001 War in Afghanistan

PKM/PK in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

PKM-family machine guns were documented with both Afghan government forces and Taliban militants during the 2001 War in Afghanistan, including Afghan security-force training and supply, Taliban battlefield use, and a captured Taliban-used PKM.

Weapon profilePKM/PK
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesTaliban and allied militantsRoleFire SupportInsurgent / Guerrilla UseCaptured, Seized & RecoveredTraining & Foreign Aid
PKM/PK, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry Weapons - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: File:PK machine gun.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Afghan National Army forces heavily used the PKM by 2018, making it relevant to U.S. advise-and-assist preparation.

Sources: DVIDS 1st SFAB PKM Training

The Afghan National Police received PKM weapons instruction in Logar province and later had 600 PKM machine guns issued during July-September 2018.

Sources: DVIDS ANP Weapons Class, SIGAR October 2018 Quarterly Report

Taliban or insurgent forces used PKM machine guns in documented engagements in Zabul and Ghazni provinces.

Sources: U.S. Army Deh Chopan Operation, ISAF September 2012 Operational Update

A Taliban-used PKM was captured by British forces in Afghanistan during Operation Silicon in April 2007.

Sources: Imperial War Museums PKM

Timeline

PKM/PK In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. Taliban-used PKM captured during Operation Silicon

    Imperial War Museums catalogs a PKM used by the Taliban in Afghanistan and captured by 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment during Operation Silicon on April 29-30, 2007.

    Sources: Imperial War Museums PKM

  2. Afghan National Police receive PKM weapons instruction

    DVIDS reported that Afghan National Police students in Logar province were taught basic marksmanship with PKM machine guns and other weapons.

    Sources: DVIDS ANP Weapons Class

  3. Insurgent PKM fire reported in Zabul province

    A U.S. Army report said insurgents engaged Afghan and coalition forces with PKM machine-gun fire during an operation in Deh Chopan district.

    Sources: U.S. Army Deh Chopan Operation

  4. ISAF reports Taliban PKM fire in Ghazni province

    An ISAF operational update said Taliban insurgents wounded an Afghan civilian with PKM machine-gun fire during an attack in Muqor district.

    Sources: ISAF September 2012 Operational Update

  5. U.S. advisers train on PKM before Afghanistan deployment

    DVIDS reported that 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade soldiers trained on the Russian PKM because the weapon was heavily used by the Afghan National Army.

    Sources: DVIDS 1st SFAB PKM Training

  6. SIGAR reports 600 PKM machine guns issued to Afghan police

    SIGAR's October 2018 quarterly report listed 600 PKM machine guns among major equipment provided to the Afghan National Police during July-September 2018.

    Sources: SIGAR October 2018 Quarterly Report

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

PKM-family machine guns appeared on both main sides of the 2001 War in Afghanistan. DVIDS described the Russian PKM machine gun as heavily used by the Afghan National Army when U.S. Security Force Assistance Brigade soldiers trained on the weapon before a 2018 Afghanistan deployment, and SIGAR reported 600 PKM machine guns issued to the Afghan National Police during July-September 2018.

Taliban use is documented by battlefield and collection records. A U.S. Army report from Zabul province said insurgents engaged Afghan and coalition forces with PKM machine-gun fire during an October 2011 operation, and an ISAF operational update said Taliban insurgents used PKM fire in Ghazni province in September 2012. Imperial War Museums also catalogs a PKM used by the Taliban in Afghanistan and captured by 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment during Operation Silicon on April 29-30, 2007.

Sources: DVIDS 1st SFAB PKM Training, SIGAR October 2018 Quarterly Report, U.S. Army Deh Chopan Operation, ISAF September 2012 Operational Update, Imperial War Museums PKM

Timeline

The dated record shows early Taliban use and capture, subsequent insurgent PKM fire in partnered operations, and later Afghan government-side supply and training. The sources support weapon presence, training, supply, and use, but they do not establish a complete inventory for either side.

By 2018 the PKM remained relevant to Afghan security-force support: U.S. advisers trained on the weapon because Afghan National Army forces heavily used it, and SIGAR listed PKM machine guns among major equipment provided to Afghan National Police units in the same year.

Sources: Imperial War Museums PKM, U.S. Army Deh Chopan Operation, ISAF September 2012 Operational Update, DVIDS 1st SFAB PKM Training, SIGAR October 2018 Quarterly Report

Narrative

For Afghan government forces, the PKM functioned as a 7.62 mm belt-fed fire-support weapon already familiar enough in Afghan service that U.S. trainers incorporated it into preparation and police marksmanship instruction. DVIDS reporting from Logar province in 2008 described Afghan National Police students being trained on PKM machine guns alongside pistols, AK-47s, shotguns, and rocket-propelled grenades.

For Taliban and allied militants, source-backed examples place PKM use in small-unit engagements and recovered materiel. The Zabul report described insurgent PKM fire, RPG fire, PKM brass, and a later bazaar engagement with PKM and small-arms fire; the Ghazni update described a Taliban attack in which a civilian was wounded by PKM machine-gun fire. The Imperial War Museums object record adds a captured example tied to Operation Silicon in 2007.

Sources: DVIDS ANP Weapons Class, DVIDS 1st SFAB PKM Training, U.S. Army Deh Chopan Operation, ISAF September 2012 Operational Update, Imperial War Museums PKM

Related Weapons by Role

PKP Pecheneg, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsPKP Pecheneg7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PKP Pecheneg is a Russian 7.62x54mmR belt-fed general-purpose machine gun developed from the PKM to solve sustained-fire problems with a heavier, jacket-cooled barrel, forced-air cooling, a mirage-shielding carry handle, and a forward bipod. Russian sources place production at Kovrov in 1999 and service acceptance in 2001, with later documented use by Russian forces, Syrian special forces, Russian-backed separatists, and Ukrainian troops, plus naval mounting on Russian patrol and assault craft.
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.
Type 80/PKM-T80 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsType 80/PKM-T80 general-purpose machine gun7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gunThe Type 80 is a Chinese PKM-pattern, belt-fed 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun also encountered under M80 and PKM-T80 designations. Direct conflict evidence spans Small Arms Survey documentation of Type 80 guns with South Sudanese anti-government militias in 2011, Conflict Armament Research records of Chinese M80 guns captured from Islamic State forces in Syria in 2014, and AP reporting on Type 80 or PKM-T80 weapons with Hamas fighters in Gaza.
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Sources