Who funds the arms market in Iraq?

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[size=52]Who funds the arms market in Iraq?[/size]

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2024-09-02
Baghdad
For many years, Iraq has been suffering from the spread of weapons in a worrying manner, especially with their frequent use in tribal conflicts that sometimes reach heavy weapons and claim the lives of people, in addition to intelligence leaks about those weapons leaking to ISIS, which is trying to reconstitute itself once again.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding this matter, Yasser Iskandar, a member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, said during a conversation, “The chaos of the arms market is a complex problem in Iraq, and the exceptional circumstances that it went through after 2003 contributed to the cities being flooded with various weapons, and there was actually a turning of the eye for some time due to the turbulent security atmosphere.”[/size]
[size=45]Iskandar added, “The Ministry of Interior began months ago to adopt an ambitious program to license the presence of weapons inside homes as part of the principle of self-defense, which is an important step, in addition to launching more than 20 operations against networks that sell and trade weapons in seven governorates, and the results were positive.”[/size]
[size=45]He points out that “e-commerce, which used social media platforms to promote the sale and purchase of weapons, has decreased by 80 percent after tightening, monitoring and control, but real stability cannot be achieved, and there are millions of unlicensed weapons.”[/size]
[size=45]The member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee stresses “the importance of preventing the circulation of heavy and medium weapons for any reason and preventing their presence in homes. The rates of interaction with the Ministry of Interior’s program to restrict weapons to the state are good, but we need greater pressure to push all segments to adhere to the points mentioned because they serve the community.”[/size]
[size=45]It is worth noting that the slogan “restricting weapons to the state” has been a fixed pillar in the government programs of successive prime ministers, but all of them have been of no use, as the Iraq War Victims Organization recorded the killing of 46 Iraqis in the first months of this year, and in the following month, last February, 44 deaths were recorded, which is the highest level recorded since May 2023, in which the number of deaths reached 46.[/size]
[size=45]Although the government has increased the amounts of money it offers to citizens in exchange for handing over the weapons they possess, especially medium and heavy weapons that have become clearly involved in tribal and clan conflicts, as part of a broad plan by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government aimed at narrowing the scope of loose weapons in the country, demand for them is still weak, which has prompted it to impose severe penalties that may reach life imprisonment.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, the former representative of the Turkmen component, Fawzi Akram Tarzi, believes, during an interview with “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed”, that “the danger of the arms market file in Iraq lies in revealing the main sources of smuggling that earn millions of dollars through the black trade in light, medium and heavy weapons.”[/size]
[size=45]Tarzi points out that “the Kurdistan Workers’ Party is one of the most important tools for pumping weapons deep into Iraq and earns millions of dollars through this trade. We have previously warned years ago of the danger of smuggling weapons into the country.”[/size]
[size=45]He continues, “The impact of the arms trade can be limited to three red points: the increase in internal tensions and their use in conflicts. In addition to that, there is the possibility of their leakage to terrorist cells. Therefore, the arms market in Iraq is very dangerous, and it is a powder keg that all precautionary measures must be taken to contain.”[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Interior announced last January that it had begun purchasing weapons from Iraqis through the government’s “Ur” electronic portal (a website), in addition to opening 697 centers to purchase weapons from citizens.[/size]
[size=45]Although this is the first time that the Iraqi authorities have resorted to purchasing weapons from citizens, the turnout is weak, while some centers have not witnessed the purchase of a single weapon.[/size]
[size=45]There are no official statistics on the number of weapons in Iraqi society, but estimates usually range between 13 and 15 million medium and light weapons, most notably the Russian Kalashnikov, PKC, and RPK rifles, in addition to mortars and RPG shells, which have recently become widely used in tribal conflicts in the south and center of the country.[/size]
[size=45]Most of these weapons are owned by armed groups, in addition to tribes, while Iraqis are keen to have weapons inside their homes as part of the post-2003 culture, the lack of security, and the Iraqis being forced to think about defending themselves from thieves and expected attacks.[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, security expert Ibrahim Al-Zaidi explained, during an interview with “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed”, that “Iraq currently has about three million pieces of weapons according to readings, but the danger lies in the heavy and medium weapons that appear in tribal conflicts in a striking manner and lead to casualties and great material losses.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Zaidi points out that “Iran, Turkey and Syria are the most prominent sources of funding for weapons flowing into Iraq, especially with the presence of gaps in some border areas. Moreover, the arms trade is run by international mafias because it provides financial profits of millions of dollars annually.”[/size]
[size=45]He points out that “98 percent of the victims of murders are killed with unlicensed weapons, and there is intelligence evidence that terrorist cells are taking advantage of the abundance of weapons to re-update what they have if it is known that the means of financing have not ended, and this explains the seizure of more weapons and ammunition in terrorist hideouts in Diyala, Kirkuk, Anbar and elsewhere.”[/size]
[size=45]The security expert believes that “if the Ministry of Interior’s program is implemented comprehensively, it will achieve a shift in restricting the arms market, at least the possibility of tracking licensed weapons and uncovering crimes, and even stopping the buying and selling of those that leak into terrorist cells.”[/size]
[size=45]A security source had previously confirmed in a statement to “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” that ammunition had been seized in the Al-Mutaibija area between the governorates of Diyala and Salah al-Din, and it was found that the date of its manufacture was 2023, meaning that it had recently entered, which indicates the existence of private mafias that provide weapons and ammunition to those who pay money. According to the source, some small networks that sell weapons and ammunition have been dismantled, but the large mafias have not been reached, especially since they do not operate without a cover that provides them with flexibility in movement in light of large profits that can be achieved through bribes, at least in movement on the main roads.[/size]
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