Iraq registers more than 500,000 civilian firearms under national campaign

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry has registered more than half a million civilian firearms since launching an electronic registration platform aimed at reducing bureaucracy, a senior ministry official said on Saturday. Brigadier General Mansur Ali Sultan, the ministry's assistant undersecretary for police affairs and secretary-general of the National Committee for State-Identified Weapons, said the "Or" platform has allowed citizens to register their weapons directly with authorities, forming what he described as the basis of trust between security forces and society. Sultan said 845 specialized offices across the country are conducting free firearm registration and inspection, and that applications have risen noticeably since the start of 2026. He added that tribal diwans have become a key part of the campaign, with more than 600 tribal leaders opening their diwans to call on followers to register their weapons. According to Sultan, meetings held at these tribal councils reject violence and oppose customary practices that the campaign considers harmful to social peace. The Interior Ministry has positioned the drive as part of a broader effort to bring civilian weapons under formal state oversight, though no further details on enforcement or penalties for non-compliance were immediately available.