Intelligence forces seize weapons cache in Basra house disguised as commercial premises

BASRA — Iraqi intelligence forces raided a house in Basra being used to store and sell light weapons under the cover of a commercial company, the Interior Ministry’s Intelligence and Federal Investigations Agency said Wednesday.

“According to precise intelligence information, units specialized in combating organized crime in Basra seized a house with a commercial company façade being used to store light weapons for the purpose of trading them,” the agency said in a statement.

It said forces raided the site after obtaining judicial approval, seizing the weapons and arresting a suspect in possession of them.

Years of conflict in Iraq have left firearms widely available, with many held without licenses. Authorities have faced repeated calls for tighter gun control, launching a nationwide buyback and registration program last year.

On Monday, Salah al-Din’s provincial council reviewed security conditions with senior officers, where Police Commander Mustafa Ahmed Habib said the Interior Ministry has authorized local police to oversee the arms registration campaign. He reported that 7,811 weapons have been officially registered so far.

The ministry launched the initiative in May to register and track stolen or lost weapons as part of a broader plan to limit arms possession to state institutions, in line with Iraq’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.