Iraq Says Carrying Arms Outside State Authority Is Strictly Prohibited

Iraq’s head of the Security Media Authority, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, said Thursday that carrying weapons outside state authority is strictly prohibited.

Maan stressed that weapons must remain within the framework of state oversight, describing carrying arms beyond that authority as “absolutely not permitted.”

He also said the number of registered weapons in Iraq was approaching six million. The figure referred to registered arms, rather than a total count of all weapons in the country.

His remarks underscored the distinction between weapons recorded under the registration system and carrying arms outside the state’s authority. No further details were provided on the registration figures or enforcement measures.