An Iraqi representative: Iran has the largest share of arms smuggling to Iraq

According to Soran Khatri, a Voice of America correspondent from Erbil, the "Future Center for Strategic Studies" stated in a report on the phenomenon of the illicit weapons crisis in Iraq that some of Iraq's neighboring countries are facilitating the entry of weapons outside the control of the Iraqi government into the country for political purposes.

The center also cites the existence of armed factions outside the government as another reason for the arms crisis in the country.

According to the Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed website, despite the campaigns of the Iraqi government and security forces to combat smuggling and the illegal purchase and sale of weapons, light and medium weapons are now available in many cities of the country at prices that are not too expensive for the Iraqi people.

What has caused concern among Iraqi officials is the presence of new weapons in these markets, which indicates that either groups within the government have smuggled these weapons from abroad or that these weapons have been removed from the warehouses of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense by groups.

According to this report, the main arms sellers are businessmen who have good relations with armed factions and militia groups. According to published reports, most of the weapons bought and sold are weapons that fell into the hands of militia groups after the ISIS war, but instead of handing these weapons over to the government, these groups sell them.

Last week, Iraqi parliamentarians warned about the spread of illegal arms trade in the country, calling it a threat to national security.

Ali Mane, a member of the Iraqi parliament, stated: "Some of the weapons that are 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 why people resort to weapons to ensure their security and the buying and selling of weapons by these paramilitary groups.

Source: Voice of America