Erbil police seize more than 600 handguns
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Police in Erbil confiscated more than 600 handguns that were illegally imported and two suspects were arrested, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“In a joint operation between the Kurdistan Region’s Security Council and Erbil’s police directorate forces, after detailed investigations, on Wednesday 628 handguns, known as Turkish handguns, that were imported illegally into the Kurdistan Region, were confiscated,” Erbil police spokesperson Hogir Aziz told reporters, reading from a Ministry of Interior statement.
Two people accused of importing the weapons have been arrested, they are both from the Kurdistan Region, Aziz added.
In May, Interior Minister Reber Ahmed said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to tighten gun control laws, but cannot promise a complete end to gun markets.
The government’s gun-control measures are doing little to counter the proliferation of weapons with violence remaining a widespread problem in the Kurdistan Region. Civilians can often go through personal connections to get permission to carry firearms. Weapons, including sniper rifles and machine guns, can also be bought on the black market.
A woman was killed last week when she was shot four times in the chest by her brother in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province. Two people were killed and injured when skirmishes broke out between residents of two villages in Erbil province’s Choman district over land disputes.
Sulaimani authorities in July decided to limit gun ownership by revoking licenses not authorized by the Ministry of Interior, provincial authorities, or district administrations.
Additional reporting by Sidad Lashkri
“In a joint operation between the Kurdistan Region’s Security Council and Erbil’s police directorate forces, after detailed investigations, on Wednesday 628 handguns, known as Turkish handguns, that were imported illegally into the Kurdistan Region, were confiscated,” Erbil police spokesperson Hogir Aziz told reporters, reading from a Ministry of Interior statement.
Two people accused of importing the weapons have been arrested, they are both from the Kurdistan Region, Aziz added.
In May, Interior Minister Reber Ahmed said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to tighten gun control laws, but cannot promise a complete end to gun markets.
The government’s gun-control measures are doing little to counter the proliferation of weapons with violence remaining a widespread problem in the Kurdistan Region. Civilians can often go through personal connections to get permission to carry firearms. Weapons, including sniper rifles and machine guns, can also be bought on the black market.
A woman was killed last week when she was shot four times in the chest by her brother in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province. Two people were killed and injured when skirmishes broke out between residents of two villages in Erbil province’s Choman district over land disputes.
Sulaimani authorities in July decided to limit gun ownership by revoking licenses not authorized by the Ministry of Interior, provincial authorities, or district administrations.
Additional reporting by Sidad Lashkri