Iraq registers 6 million weapons nationwide as arms database comes online

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Iraq has officially launched a nationwide database designed to track approximately six million weapons as the government attempts to bring all arms under state control. This initiative, which took eight years to develop following its decision in 2018 and began operational work in January 2023, aims to address Iraq's status as having the highest number of militias in the northern hemisphere. The registry is intended to be the first step in a broader process that includes issuing firearm licenses and enforcing laws so that only licensed individuals possess weapons, ultimately seeking to achieve security and sustainable development for the country. However, significant obstacles remain regarding powerful Iran-aligned groups that are actively resisting disarmament efforts. Reports indicate that Iraqi authorities have faced direct hostility when attempting to enforce this control; in one instance, officials were shot at while trying to enter the headquarters of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a strong Iranian-backed militia operating as a semi-military state organ funded by Tehran. Consequently, experts suggest that while the database represents an important administrative step toward establishing modern firearm laws for ordinary citizens, it currently functions more as "sovereignty theater" because the government lacks the ability to touch or disarm these well-armed militias who operate outside the law. Beyond the issue of weapon proliferation, Iraq continues to grapple with severe infrastructure challenges that exacerbate social unrest across the nation. Despite possessing vast oil reserves, the country relies heavily on Iranian gas for power generation and suffers from chronic electricity shortages caused by years of corruption and underinvestment in the national grid. These energy failures have left millions struggling to keep lights on and have fueled violent protests, particularly in eastern cities like Kut, where residents are demanding a fairer distribution of the limited electricity produced within their own province. In conclusion, while Iraq's new arms registry marks an ambitious effort to transition from lawlessness toward state monopoly over weapons, its effectiveness is severely hampered by entrenched external influences and internal resistance. The database may successfully regulate civilian firearm ownership and improve order among regular people, but it will not immediately resolve the deep-seated security threats posed by foreign-backed militias or fix the critical energy crisis that continues to destabilize Iraqi society. Until these broader political and infrastructural issues are addressed, the government's goal of full state control over arms remains a distant objective rather than an immediate reality.

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Iraq says it has created a national database to track some 6 million weapons as Baghdad tries to bring all arms under state control. Armed factions with their own weapons and command structures remain one of the country's biggest security and political challenges. The government says strengthening state control is vital to protecting Iraq from growing regional tensions, but powerful Iran-aligned groups are resisting disarmament. And for more, we are joined in the studio by senior Middle East correspondent Aril Oseran. Aril, the idea to create this database isn't new. Tell me about what it does and what's the goal. >> Yeah, not only is it not new, but it's been 8 years in the making. It was decided in 2018. It only started working in January of 2023, and now it has finally built this database that is going to try and help authorities gain control over the ample amounts of illegal weapons that are running through the country. I mean, Iraq is considered the country with the highest number of militias in the northern hemisphere, and so this is one of its ways to try and tackle that. But, I think it's important to note that this is mainly for theater. I mean, yes, Iraq is trying to uh appear or incorporate any semblance of uh modern proper country that has firearm laws, a registry, and all that. And this is the first step. You have to first survey how many weapons you have in the country. This is the first step. Second step is to issue these firearm licenses. The third is to enforce and make sure that the only ones who have weapons are those with the licenses. [snorts] And then the the last step is to basically as the Iraqi government is describing it, achieving security and sustainable development. That is a very high task for Iraq, but ultimately the main question here is what does this mean for the Iranian backed militias, for the popular mobilization force within which is a semi-military body that is operating as a state organ, but is receiving funding from Iran. To my understanding, conversations that I've had with sources are saying that not only are these militias not complying, but in fact um Iraqi authorities approached or entered tried to enter headquarters of Harakat Hezbollah one of the strongest Iranian backed militias in Iraq and they were sent away after being shot at. And so this is a vivid description as to the reality on the ground. And so yes, this is nice and any modern developed country should have a registry, but this isn't going to include the militias that are operating outside the confines of the law and that's what has the Iraqi government concerned. >> So are these militias the main challenges, but they're not the only challenges. What is it that this registry could really change even if they were to reach their goal apart from having some administrative database? >> Right. So again, having a firearm registry, issuing licenses, this is how you ensure or one way you ensure law and order in your country and Iraq is known for its lawlessness and so it's trying to fix that, but this will only have an impact on the level below the militias, the ordinary Iraqis on the civilian level, but and so this is good. I'm not bashing this process as a whole. I think every country should have a registry and every country should enforce its gun laws and only the the state should hold a monopoly over holding arms. However, this is not going to solve that problem. Yes, it is going to ensure enforce law and order among regular Iraqi civilians, but not only are they not going to touch the militias, they can't touch the militias. The militias showed them that today when they they tried to get some notion as to what's going on in just one base of Harakat al-Nujaba and they and they were shot at. And so this I think shows that this isn't much more than, you know, we can call it sovereignty theater. Ultimately, this isn't going to be what is going to prevent the Iranian-backed militias from operating freely in Iraq. >> All right, Ariel Avgaron, thank you very much. And staying in Iraq, across the country, chronic power shortages are leaving millions struggling to keep the lights on. Now, protests have turned violent in the eastern city of Kut, where residents are demanding a fair share of the electricity produced in their own province. Despite its vast oil reserves, Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to generate power and years of corruption and underinvestment have left the national grid in crisis.