ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil Asayesh announced on Saturday it has arrested 150 suspected criminals and confiscated 200 unregistered vehicles and unlicensed weapons in a recent crackdown.

Tariq Nuri, head of the Erbil Asayesh (security forces), announced in a press conference on Saturday his forces have launched a series of raids in response to a recent rise in killings and lawlessness in the Kurdistan Region capital.

“Upon a decree from Masrour Barzani, advisor to the Kurdistan Region Security Council, an operation center was set up where the Asayesh forces were tasked to assist local forces to take measures to prevent illegal acts and violations from escalating,” Nuri said.

“Those arrested on charges of carrying unlicensed firearms and other accusations have been referred to court,” he explained.

Unlicensed gun ownership is one of the main causes of murder in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Independent Body for Human Rights.

“In the past, there were some mafia-like people forcibly taking taxes from people and stopping them for money … All were captured and now are jailed,” Nuri added.

Among those arrested are “murderers who were also referred to court”.

Since July, security forces in Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok have been stepping up their pursuit of wanted individuals and their efforts to strip civilians of unlicensed weapons.

Around 3,150 gun owners in the Kurdistan Region have permits for their firearms, according to the interior ministry, which issues licenses in coordination with provincial authorities.

There is no official data on the actual number of guns or how many people carry them, but the ministry acknowledges the vast majority of gun owners are breaking the law.

The Kurdistan Region’s legal system deals out heavy penalties for unlicensed gun ownership, including relatively long jail sentences — up to one year in prison in addition to weighty fines.

Rudaw