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Indian INSAS rifles malfunction during major engagement with Nepalese rebels
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The Nepali army said on Friday faulty Indian assault rifles were partly responsible for its heavy death toll in a gun battle with Maoist rebels as troops hunted for 75 soldiers still missing after the fighting.
Well, they're still better than the Enfield rifles that Nepal started the war with.
I recall the Marines of yore making the Enfield do its job just fine.
Forty-three soldiers and a civilian were killed when hundreds of rebels attacked an army base in the remote Kalikot district, 600 km (375 miles) from the capital, Kathmandu, late on Sunday. The Maoists, fighting to topple Nepal's monarchy and establish communist rule, say they captured 52 soldiers after the raid, a claim rejected by the army.
A rifle that won't shoot - can't defend yourself. Not surprised they snatched some hostages.
Army spokesman Brigadier-General Dipak Gurung said the Indian-manufactured INSAS rifles malfunctioned during the fighting which continued for about 10 hours. "Soldiers complained that the INSAS rifles did not function properly during the fighting which lasted for a long time," Gurung told a news conference when asked why the army death toll was high.

"May be the weapons we were using were not designed for a long fight. They malfunctioned," he said. "There were stoppages during the firing ... the rifles got hot and soldiers had to wait for them to cool," another officer told Reuters.
Some light machine guns and a few mortars, and the Nepalese soldiers wouldn't be standing around waiting for their rifles to cool.
India is a key military supplier to the poorly equipped Nepali army. But New Delhi suspended arms supplies six months ago after the king's power grab to press the monarch to restore multi-party democracy and civil liberties.

Nepali troops have complained in the past about technical problems with the Indian designed and built INSAS or Indian Small Arms System assault rifle. Indian troops using the rifle are also known to have faced difficulties using it, Indian defence experts say. Indian defence officials declined to react to the Nepali comments.
Posted by: gromky 2005-08-13
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=126657