Iraqi security body says government will press on with weapons monopoly policy

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Security Media Cell said the government will not retreat from its policy of concentrating weapons in the hands of the state. Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan told the Iraqi News Agency that the policy was approved in 2018 under Decision No. 21 of the National Security Council, restricting weapons use to security and military institutions and mandating the collection of unlicensed arms and a crackdown on illegal weapons trade. Maan, who heads the Interior Ministry-linked Committee to Support Weapons Regulation and State Monopolization, said the committee's weapons registration offices continue to open across the country. He added that some groups remain unaware of the laws governing unlicensed weapons possession, and noted that the Iraqi Penal Code prescribes heavy penalties for crimes committed with firearms. The security official said Iraq's judiciary has decided to treat tribal armed clashes under counterterrorism frameworks. He added that such clashes have largely subsided, nearly disappearing in several cities and regions.