Gun Shops Thrive in Baghdad

A man checks a weapon before he buys at a weapons shop in Baghdad, Iraq, August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
A man checks a weapon before he buys at a weapons shop in Baghdad, Iraq, August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
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Gun Shops Thrive in Baghdad

A man checks a weapon before he buys at a weapons shop in Baghdad, Iraq, August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
A man checks a weapon before he buys at a weapons shop in Baghdad, Iraq, August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili

In the middle of Baghdad's busy commercial neighborhood of Karrada, where most retail outlets sell home appliances, shoppers can now also buy handguns and semi-automatic rifles legally for the first time in decades.

After the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003, illegal weapons trade flourished across the country. Looted guns from ransacked police stations and military bases were sold in streets and public areas to residents seeking to protect themselves in a state that was largely lawless.

The authorities have since been battling to curb illegal weapon sales and the government has stepped up efforts to control gun ownership through regulation.

According to Reuters, the latest initiative came into force this summer and allows citizens to own and carry handguns, semi-automatic rifles and other assault weapons after obtaining official authorization and an identity card that also details the individual's weapons.

Previously, gun sales were restricted to firearms for hunting and sport.

Hamza Maher opened his new gun shop in Karrada after receiving official approval from the Interior Ministry and says there has been growing demand for his wares.

"Customers are mainly men, but the number of women buyers is growing," said Maher inside his shop, where a variety of pistols and assault rifles are on display.

"The reason for buying is self-defense, and it's safer for citizens to buy a weapon from an authorized store instead of from an unknown source."

Pistol prices in Maher's shop range from $1,000 to $4,000, while Kalashnikov assault rifles can be had from as little as $400 up to $2,000, depending on the brand and manufacturing origin, he said.

Haider al-Suhail, a tribal sheikh from Baghdad, welcomed the legalization of gun stores.

"Yes, it will decrease crime," he said on a visit to Maher's shop to buy assault rifles for his ranch guards. "The criminal who plans to attack others will understand that he will pay heavy price."



International Flights Resume at Damascus Airport

An airport worker walks on the tarmac next to a Syrian Air plane at the Damascus International Airport on January 7, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
An airport worker walks on the tarmac next to a Syrian Air plane at the Damascus International Airport on January 7, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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International Flights Resume at Damascus Airport

An airport worker walks on the tarmac next to a Syrian Air plane at the Damascus International Airport on January 7, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
An airport worker walks on the tarmac next to a Syrian Air plane at the Damascus International Airport on January 7, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

International flights resumed at Syria’s main airport in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since opposition fighters toppled President Bashar Assad last month.

A Syrian Airlines flight bound for Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, took off at around 11:45 am, marking the first international commercial flight from the airport since December 8.

"Today marks a new beginning," Damascus airport director Anis Fallouh told AFP.

"We started welcoming outbound and inbound international flights," he said.

The first local flight since Assad’s ouster took off on Dec. 18 from Damascus airport to Aleppo in the country’s north.
Thirty-two people including journalists were on board the plane.

Assad fled Syria as a lightning opposition offensive wrested from his control city after city.