Five killings reported in one week in Germiyan region of Kurdistan

ERBIL, Iraq — Five killings were recorded over the past week in the Germiyan region of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, reviving debate over the spread of unlicensed firearms. According to data from the Germiyan Police Directorate, firearms were used in four of the five incidents. Authorities have pointed to the ease with which illegal weapons can be obtained. Karuh Ömer, a civil society representative, said firearms are sold without oversight and called for full enforcement of weapons legislation and expanded operations against unlicensed arms. He also urged public awareness programs aimed at reducing the cultural acceptance of carrying weapons. Ömer said earlier weapons-collection campaigns had failed to deliver the desired results and called for existing enforcement mechanisms to be reviewed. Calls have grown across the Kurdistan Region in recent months for tighter control of unlicensed firearms following a rise in similar incidents involving guns.