confining weapons to the state… new era in Iraq or a new path for corruption?

Weapons spread in Iraq after the American invasion of the country and the collapse of the previous regime in April 2003, and when citizens, and later, party forces, seized the weapons stores, which began to enter every home, especially in areas with a tribal nature,

Whose sons carried weapons, as did members of armed groups, as a tool to impose their dominance. At a time when all government plans to prevent or limit it failed.

At ten o’clock in the evening on Sunday, March 3, 2024, in the emergency department of the Turkish Hosشpital in Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar Governorate, there was chaos as some terrified security personnel entered carrying a person who had been shot in the stomach and was bleeding severely.

The medical staff could not do anything for the injured person, who they quickly identified as (the director of intelligence and terrorism in the governorate), as the bullet tore his intestines and he breathed his last there.

Brigadier General Aziz Shalal, known throughout the Southern Governorate, did not lose his life as a result of a direct confrontation with a terrorist group or outlaws, but rather because he was found with a group of his members in the Abu Golan area (5 km west of the Islah district) with the aim of putting an end to an armed conflict that broke out between From the “Al-Rumaid” and “Al-Omar” clans, he received a stray bullet, amid the intense exchange of fire between the two clans, which killed him.

The authorities stand helplessly as disputes between two clans over administrative positions turn into battles in which light and medium weapons are used, leaving casualties, including a senior officer!

The dispute between the two clans began in 2020, following their competition to present a candidate for the position of mayor of the district, which has a population of about 65 thousand people. The Al Omar clan, which lives in the center of the district and the villages surrounding it, saw that it constituted the majority, and according to that, one of its sons was more worthy of the position, and this is what He was rejected by the Al Rumayd clan, a member of which held the position until 2023.

The Conflict Resolution Committee in Dhi Qar Governorate stated in a statement that the war between the two clans entered its third year, during which 30 armed battles took place, as a result of which 7 people were killed and 15 others were injured on both sides, and caused the displacement of 114 families to the villages and areas of Al-Fuhod District, which is a few kilometers away. Kilometers from the Islah district.

The committee confirmed in its statement that, in 2023, it contributed to stopping 157 armed tribal conflicts in the governorate, but it was unable to stop the ongoing conflict between the Al-Rumaid and Al-Omar clans

Hours after the killing of Brigadier General Aziz Shalal, the security forces were able to confiscate 21 pieces of light and medium weapons, and arrested 105 people from both sides of the conflict in the Islah district, while the local government of Dhi Qar announced the formation of a higher committee to investigate the incident, in an attempt to absorb the anger of the street, while The Ministry of Interior vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the crime, which it described as a “criminal terrorist act.”

Tribal conflicts caused the death and injury of 3,000 people in various Iraqi governorates, excluding the Kurdistan region, during the first half of 2023, including 120 women.

Bullets of tribal dispute

The bullet that struck the Director of Dhi Qar Intelligence was not the first to hit a security man due to a tribal dispute. In April 2022, another bullet killed the Director of Military Intelligence for Sumer Operations, Brigadier General Ali Jamil, while he was trying to resolve a tribal dispute in the Shatra District, north of Nasiriyah.

While a major general in the Ministry of Interior survived an assassination attempt in November 2023, after gunmen attacked his house in the Qalaat Sukkar district, north of the city of Nasiriyah, and that was also part of a tribal dispute.

According to statistics from the Forensic Medicine Department reviewed by the author of the investigation, tribal conflicts caused the killing and injury of 3,000 people from various Iraqi governorates, with the exception of the Kurdistan region, during the first half of 2023, including 120 women.

Starting from Dhi Qar, this investigation opens the file of what is known in Iraq as uncontrolled weapons, that is, the reality in the hands of irregular forces and groups, the reasons for its transformation into a phenomenon, the government measures to combat it, and how political parties and forces harness it for their benefit in their conflicts.

Weapons everywhere

Weapons spread widely among Iraqis following the American invasion of the country, the collapse of the previous Iraqi regime in 2003, and the decision of the American governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer, to cancel the formations of the security forces, so many Iraqis seized weapons stores and stands, according to retired Major General and security expert Abdul Jalil Khalaf.

Khalaf points out that individuals and groups seized weapons stores and depots in army camps, security and intelligence headquarters, and the organizational centers of the Baath Party, which were spread throughout all cities, districts, and districts, in addition to the flow of weapons from Syria and Iran during different periods in the context of smuggling and deals that he says were carried out by merchants and brokers. Party leaders conclude it, as well as armed forces.

“Weapons have become everywhere and the matter has become a phenomenon, and the clans whose members unite to guarantee their interests are engaged in armed clashes among themselves, and enter into conflicts, some of which last for years, during which innocent victims fall”, he added.

Khalaf also said that disputes erupted due to a dispute over land ownership, or “in response to incidents that lead to death, whereby the custom of revenge is activated, or they explode as a result of social problems”.

Security expert Sarmad Al-Bayati accuses some officials of the Ports Authority, Customs, and Border Guard of being behind the spread of weapons in society by turning a blind eye to its smuggling and failing to arrest those involved in this deadly trade.

Weapons spread widely after the American invasion of the country, the collapse of the former Iraqi regime in April 2003, and the decision of the American governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer, to cancel the formations of the security forces, so many people seized weapons stores and sheds.

Al-Bayati said: “Political forces have contributed to developing a culture of militarization in society by cutting off weapons that they give as gifts and donations to sheikhs and individuals loyal to them,” warning that politicians’ interventions have harmed security work. “Therefore, there is no limit to weapons if they are applied to everyone without exception.”

According to the Gunpolic website, which provides an extensive database on weapons, Iraq ranks 153 out of 200 countries in terms of civilians owning their own weapons, even though the law does not allow owning a weapon without a license..

A way to confine weapons

Successive Iraqi governments since 2003 have repeatedly announced plans to “confine weapons to the state,” the latest of which was the Council of Ministers’ decision on January 3, 2024, to allocate an amount of 15 billion dinars (about 11.5 million dollars) to purchase weapons from citizens in 15 governorates, at a rate of one billion. One dinar for each governorate, except for the governorates of the Kurdistan region of Iraq

The amount was allocated from the emergency reserve, based on the provisions of the General Budget Law for the three fiscal years from 2023 to 2025, in implementation of the government program to regulate weapons and confine them to the state, according to a statement issued by the Council of Ministers.

Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari said that the program includes two stages, the first is the registration of light weapons in police stations near citizens’ residences, and the second is the purchase of heavy and medium weapons from them, stressing that this will continue throughout the year 2024.

The plan to confine weapons to the state, according to statements by security officials, aims to “regulate their spread in all governorates of the country, and reduce the manifestations of militarization of society in order to preserve societal peace and combat the manifestations of social armament and its repercussions

It also seeks to activate texts related to combating what is known as the “tribal raid,” which is when the followers of a clan gather in front of an opponent’s house and open fire to intimidate him and demand that he hold a tribal session in which he adheres to what is imposed on him.

One of the texts that was enacted to deal with this tribal custom is Section 2 of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for more than 15 years. It states: The following acts are considered terrorist acts: violence or threats that aim to spread terror among people or expose their lives, freedoms and security to danger and expose their money and property to damage, regardless of their motives, It is considered the implementation of an organized terrorist project, whether individual or group.

The government of Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani formed 14 specialized committees for weapons control, whose membership includes representatives of the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs, the Counter-Terrorism Service, National Security, Intelligence, the Shiite and Sunni Endowments, and the representation of the United Nations mission in Iraq. Technical and financial committees emerged from it, whose mission was to determine the prices for purchasing medium and heavy weapons from citizens. 

Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Miqdad al-Moussawi , stated that the Ministry of Interior opened 697 offices inside police stations spread throughout the country’s governorates, to register only light weapons, “pistols and Kalashnikov rifles

He explains: “Every head of a family in an independent house has the right to keep only one light weapon, provided that he has a license to possess it. He is not allowed to take that piece of weapon out of the house at all. Otherwise, he will be treated as an outlaw weapon.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior explains the mechanism for registering weapons within the first phase of the plan, saying that it is done through an electronic form launched by the Ministry of Interior in January 2024, while in the second phase medium and heavy weapons will be purchased, and this will be followed by a third phase of inspection and search for medium weapons and heavy and confiscated.

He points out that the Ministry of Interior will not collect fees for registering citizens’ weapons, but the weapons of members of the security services will be marked, and the modified weapons that are found will be confiscated immediately without being registered.

He continues: “After completing the electronic application process for weapons registration, a specialized team from the police stations in the governorates will move to the homes of registered citizens via the electronic form to examine their weapons”.

Closing gun stores

Before the start of the first phase of the weapons inventory plan, there were preparatory measures, according to Brigadier General Mansour Ali, Secretary and Rapporteur of the State Weapons Regulation and Control Committee, who said: “119 stores selling unlicensed weapons were closed, 25 tons of illegal weapons were confiscated , and measures were taken to Judicial procedures are being taken against 385 people promoting the sale of weapons on social media, and we are working with Interpol to track down and arrest some of those who are outside the country.”

It is also mentioned that the Ministry of Interior contacted all tribal sheikhs in Iraq, and obtained 600 signatures of notables and tribal figures who “pledged to support the project to regulate and restrict weapons in the hands of the state”.

Brigadier General Mansour reveals that in 2018, the Ministry granted licenses to 119 people to open weapons stores throughout the governorates, but they found 420 stores. “These people obtained licenses from some governors or operational commanders in the governorates.”

He pointed out that the owners of some stores exceeded the limits of the licenses granted to them by importing weapons from abroad and illegally trading in them. “Some also opened stores to sell hunting tools and weapons, but they exploited them to sell medium and heavy firearms.”

These stores, which had been operating without supervision for years, made it easier for citizens to obtain, accumulate, and trade more weapons, which forced a move to tighten the implementation of instructions for possessing and using weapons.

Brigadier General Mansour said: “According to Article 10/First of Weapons Law No. 51 of 2017, every family has the right to possess one light weapon, such as a pistol with 50 rounds, and a rifle with 200 rounds, and anything in excess of that is confiscated.”

He explains the conditions that must be met by the owner of a home weapon: “He must be an Iraqi at least 25 years old, not convicted of a felony, and not have a criminal record, in addition to being subject to a drug test.”

He added: “If the head of the family is not qualified to possess a weapon, the eldest son or wife has the right to possess it.”

As for the weapons that will be seized outside the instructions, they will be in the custody of the Ministry of Interior and will become an important resource for its resources and arming its forces.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the prices of “medium and heavy” weapons that will be purchased from citizens will be determined by a “technical and financial committee,” and include PKC weapons, supporting weapons, RPG shells, and others.

A security source believes that between two and a half million and three million dinars ($1,910 – $2,290) will be allocated to purchase a single piece of PKC weapon.

It is expected that each governorate will be able to purchase about 400 pieces of this weapon, with the amount of one billion dinars allocated to it, and “the purchase will depend on the cleanliness of the weapon, its capacity and its efficiency, because buried and dilapidated weapons cannot be purchased” as he say.

The security source estimates the medium weapons in the possession of the tribes (which he did not specify) at about 200 PKC pieces and anti-aircraft weapons with a range of 12 km, in addition to their possession of mortars and RPG shells, indicating that they obtained them from army warehouses. The former Iraqi and among the smuggling operations that took place after 2014 during ISIS’s control over the western regions of the country.

Corruption of arms ‘deals’

There are no official statistics on the number of weapons spread outside the state, but Security assessments indicate that they might be between 7-10 million weapons.

Because of this large number, political affairs researcher Falah Al-Mishaal doubts that the process of buying weapons from citizens will eliminate the phenomenon of loose weapons, but it will open new windows for corruption through buying and selling operations that constitute deals.

Al-Mishaal believes that a citizen’s feeling of security is what can motivate him to surrender his weapons in exchange for or without money, “and this matter can only be achieved by the strength of the authority of the law and the state, its social enforcement, and the decline of the authority of militias, political weapons, and the weapons of criminal gangs”.

He also wonders: “Don’t those who initiated the initiative know that some of the clans, with their weapons, belong to organizations and entities representing the deep state, and some of them belong to official state institutions?

e added: “Baghdad has become a city without societal peace and security, bullets threaten people on the streets, and the security services are weaker than deterring the daily crimes that occur, because they realize that behind those carrying weapons are armed organizations and political offices”.

In turn, Ali Al-Bayati, a former member of the Human Rights Commission, asserts that withdrawing weapons from citizens “beyond the capabilities of the Ministry of Interior, and that it requires political consensus.” In addition, for the success of the plan, dialogues are required with countries that have influence in Iraq (which he did not named it), to complete control of the weapon.

He says that the teams of the former and current Commission for Human Rights record on a daily basis an increase in the number of illegal weapons, and the continuous spread of armed groups that undermine the enforcement of the law in all aspects of the state and constitutes “a threat to Iraq’s political future”.

A senior source in the Ministry of Interior, who requested that his name not be mentioned, expresses his lack of conviction in the feasibility of the plan to purchase weapons from citizens, revealing that during the years 2021-2022, the Ministry of Interior granted approximately 90,000 identification cards for possessing and carrying weapons to citizens and tribal sheikhs close to political parties, which contributed to “Militarization of society”.

He believes that the plan to purchase weapons is a “preventive measure” that can limit the spread of weapons to a limited extent, but it is not a final solution “because the ministry cannot enter every home, and it cannot arrest all the sheikhs whose clan members carry various types of weapons”.

He wonders about the chances of the plan’s success, “and the government knows very well that those who possess weapons are outlaws and use them to threaten and intimidate citizens on an almost daily basis, and senior leaders in the state stand behind them in order to achieve their political and economic interests”.

The source reveals that 191,142 weapons belonging to ministries and government institutions were seized by Influential political parties, and they are still missing until now, he said.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Interior: “In 2022, about 24 thousand various weapons, ranging from light to medium were seized.” In the year 2023, 37 thousand weapons and equipment were seized, and about 450 tribal raids were recorded throughout the country during 2022, and 300 raids during 2023.

Regarding the weapons of the factions affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, the source says: “The weapons inventory plan did not include in any of its stages anything related to the factions’ weapons, and we believe that it is difficult to deal with this weapon, and any attempt in this regard will lead to the outbreak of a bloody armed conflict, so we see This file needs special political consultations and agreements”.

Officials and representatives in the Iraqi parliament were contacted by the author of the investigation to express their opinion on the weapons purchase plan. They either refused to comment or expressed their lack of conviction in the feasibility of the step.

Member of Parliament, Raad Al-Dahlaki, expressed his belief that weapons that have been on the run since 2003 have become a phenomenon that is not matched by a real will to control them, “in light of the presence of parties that believe they are above the state and do not comply with its decisions”.

Al-Dahlaki held political parties responsible for the state’s failure to confront outlaws through “the immunity it granted to armed factions,” as he say.

The popular market for arms trading

Weapon markets are spread across all Iraqi governorates. Some of these markets are public and display their weapons and equipment in private stores, while others are secret and hide what they sell. Buying and selling operations are carried out through merchants and intermediaries who communicate with each other via social media.

Among the most famous arms markets in the country are the (Maridi) market in Baghdad, and the weapons market in Dhi Qar Governorate in the south of the country, where you can buy all the weapons you want, according to what sellers say.

To find out the types of weapons that are dealt with in those markets, and the methods of trade and transportation, the author of the investigation interviewed seven merchants from six governorates (Dhi Qar, Baghdad, Maysan, Wasit, Basra, and Diwaniyah). They all confirmed with determination that the government’s plan to buy weapons will fail and that the amounts The allocation “will go into the pockets of corrupt politicians and security leaders,” as one of them put it.

Zaidoun Manaf (a pseudonym) is an arms dealer from Dhi Qar, the southern governorate that witnesses armed conflicts on a daily basis. He preferred to hide his real name for security considerations, and presented himself as “the most prominent retail arms dealer in Dhi Qar”.

Manaf, who used to work as a farmer in one of the governorate’s villages, before he turned into an arms dealer after 2003, says that he earns about 5,000 dollars (6,550,000 dinars) per month from his work in the arms and equipment trade inside and outside the governorate.

He adds with a smile: “Our trade is booming, with the expansion of armed conflicts. There is currently a great demand to buy weapons or equipment from members of the conflicting clans”.

The sixty-year-old father of five children ridiculed the possibility of the success of the plan to limit weapons to the state and its individuals: “What crazy person is this who believes that tribes or even citizens and armed factions will sell their weapons at these low prices that were allocated by the program?.

He continued: “The security situation is deteriorating, and controversially, if any of these segments decided to sell their weapons, they would sell the state only the old and dilapidated parts and would keep the good ones.”

Manaf reveals the continued flow of weapons into the country, “arriving from Iran, Syria, and even Russia across the border through organized and complex smuggling operations,” noting the existence of workshops for modifying sound and light weapons in Baghdad and the Kurdistan region.

The author of the investigation joined one of the “Telegram” channels for buying and selling weapons and opened communication channels with 11 arms dealers in Baghdad, all of whom refused to respond to the messages he sent to them via private message, with the exception of a person calling himself (Falah Muhammad) who stipulated knowing the exact identity of the caller before speaking. Fearing that a security agency might be seeking him.

After five days of waiting, Falah decided to speak, revealing the current prices for selling weapons in the market, “The price is determined by the specifications. The price of a BKC weapon is linked to the standards of cleanliness, date of manufacture, and country of origin, so the price starts from two million dinars ($1,350) up to 10.” Millions ($7,000), while the price of mortars is about one and a half million, and the price of RBG shells ranges between 350,000 to 500,000 dinars ($320), while the price of a machine gun reaches seven million (4500$).

The author of the investigation communicated through an intermediary with an arms dealer from Basra Governorate in southern Iraq. He said, “The people do not trust the government and see that it applies double standards in restricting weapons, so they will refuse to hand over their weapons, especially in the absence of security stability.” He pointed to the government’s weakness in implementing the law against “parties, militias, and influential people”.

Arms dealer from basra explained how weapons are transported between governorates: “There are multiple transport methods, sometimes via large transport vehicles, and sometimes via taxis, while merchants rely on some members of the security forces who facilitate the transport task and bypassing checkpoints”.

Loose laws

Less than two months after the launch of the security plan to regulate uncontrolled weapons and confine them to the control of the state, the author of the investigation obtained a document proving the approval of the Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, in 21 February – 2024, to issue weapons possession cards inside pharmacies, warehouses, and medical offices for the category of pharmacists.

However, the same law grants wholesale exceptions to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, or the Speaker of Parliament and their staffs, as well as to members of the security establishment, and to the Popular Mobilization Forces, which includes armed groups that possess various weapons, including drones capable of carrying small bombs, and also possess medium and ballistic missiles, and they usually display their weapons in public and in the streets of Baghdad and the governorates in the event of a conflict or political dispute in the country.

On May 27, 2021, a special security force arrested the leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Qasim Musleh, on charges of assassinating activist Ihab al-Wazani during the October 2019 demonstrations in Najaf Governorate, which prompted factions of the Popular Mobilization Forces to besiege vital sites in the  Green Zone in  Baghdad, including the home of the Former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, and the move almost sparked a bloody conflict.

The Mobilization Forces’ movement at that time sparked widespread local and international criticism, before the judiciary released Musleh, after a period of detention that lasted for 12 days, due to insufficient evidence against him.

Parades of armed factions are repeated from time to time, without deterrence.

In this context, the security expert, retired Major General Abdul Jalil Khalaf, rules out the possibility of the government succeeding in the effort to limit weapons, expressing his belief that the state is still weak and is unable to control the weapons of the factions that possess a large and diverse arsenal.

He points out estimates that more than 10 million weapons were stolen from Al-Rashid camp and other camps after 2003, all of which were leaked to citizens. Therefore, the process of inventorying weapons “needs a strong army and security forces that are not subject to any party or militia”.

The military expert believes that “the government may be embarrassed if it thinks about controlling the weapons of tribes that have become politically connected to some neighboring countries,” expressing his fears that the arms mafias will try to exploit the arms purchase plan to achieve large financial profits by selling weapons to the state, and then buy them from the street at lower prices.

Regarding the types of weapons possessed by the Iraqi armed factions, the military expert says, “The factions’ ammunition is much more than the Iraqi army’s ammunition, in light of the presence of about 60 armed factions outside the framework of the state, and they now possess ballistic missiles and drones”.

Retired Major General Khalaf points out that the citizen loses confidence in the government, “and the citizen is afraid to register his weapons for fear that the security services will confiscate these weapons later.”

Article No. 51 of the Weapons Law of 2017 punishes anyone who carries, sells, or buys firearms or their equipment without permission from the issuing authority, with imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, and a fine of not less than 500,000 dinars ($350) and not more than one million dinars. ($700 USD).

Weapon stores in residential neighborhoods

According to security sources, the armed factions store tens of thousands of weapons in unofficial places within residential neighborhoods. Since these sites were not suitable for storage, more than 30 explosions occurred there between 2016 and 2022 in Baghdad and some governorates, leaving dozens of victims.

These sources stated that in 2019, the death rate resulting from the use of firearms in Iraq was higher than that recorded in the United States, and also the highest in the Middle East and North Africa, according to statistics from the University of Washington.

With the criticism directed at the government and describing it as weak in the face of the phenomenon of rampant weapons, Majeed Al-Hasnawi (57 years old), one of the notables of the Islah District in Dhi Qar Governorate, believes that the state is the one feeding the rampant weapons. He added with emotion while swiping his cigarette: “Keeping this weapon on will prolongs the life of the government, as it lives on crises and instability in the country”. He throws the cigarette away, and continues, pointing to it: “I have to get away from this place, because I can no longer bear to stay in this chaos of weapons and murders that occur every day.” He was silent for a moment, then continued: “Who knows who the next victim will be, one of my sons, a grandson, or maybe it will be me!”.