An Iraqi Representative: Iran Has the Largest Share of Weapons Smuggling into Iraq
According to Soran Khattiri, a Voice of America correspondent from Erbil, the “Future Center for Strategic Studies” in a report on the crisis of illegal weapons in Iraq stated that some neighboring countries of Iraq are facilitating the entry of weapons outside the control of the Iraqi government into the country for political purposes.
The center also cites the presence of armed factions outside the government as another reason for the weapons crisis in the country.
According to the al-Arabi al-Jadid website, contrary to the Iraqi government’s campaigns and security forces’ efforts to combat smuggling and illegal weapons trafficking, light and medium weapons are now available in many cities of the country at prices that are not particularly expensive for the Iraqi people.
What has caused concern for Iraqi officials is the presence of new weapons in these markets, which indicates that either groups within the government have smuggled these weapons into the country from abroad, or these weapons have been removed from Iraqi Ministry of Defense warehouses by certain groups.
According to this report, the main sellers of weapons are merchants who have good relations with armed factions and paramilitary groups. According to published reports, the most frequently bought and sold weapons are those that fell into the hands of paramilitary groups after the war against ISIS, but instead of handing these weapons over to the government, these groups are selling them.
Iraqi parliament representatives warned last week about the expansion of illegal weapons trafficking in the country and described it as a threat to national security.
Ali Mane, an Iraqi parliament representative, stated: “Part of the weapons that are being bought and sold are smuggled from regional countries, and Iran has the largest share in this regard.”
Iraqi political and security experts say that the government’s inability to provide complete security for the country and control paramilitary groups affiliated with foreign countries is the main reason for people resorting to weapons to provide their own security and the buying and selling of weapons by these paramilitary groups.
Source: Voice of America
