ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s interior minister has approved a request to allow officers affiliated with the Kurdistan Region’s ministry of interior who reside in Kirkuk to purchase and carry Glock pistols in areas under the federal control, according to an official letter.
The approval came after Iraqi lawmaker Mazen Gharib Abdulrahman, a member of parliament from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc, formally requested facilitation for the officers.
In a letter dated March 12, 2026, Iraqi Interior Minister Abdulamir al-Shammari agreed to “exempt” the officers and allow them to buy Glock-type pistols through the Police Martyrs Fund share, according to the document.
The decision applies to 76 officers affiliated with the Kurdistan Region’s interior ministry who currently reside in Kirkuk province.
The measure aims to ensure personal protection and facilitate the officers’ movement through checkpoints between their homes and their workplaces, preventing potential obstacles that could disrupt their official duties.
In his letter, Abdulrahman said the step comes within the framework of security coordination between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), noting that the Kurdistan Region’s internal security forces play an important role in maintaining Iraq’s stability.
Kirkuk is a disputed territory claimed by both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, and security responsibilities there are often shared or coordinated between different forces.
Many members of the Kurdistan Region’s security institutions, including the interior ministry’s police forces, live in Kirkuk but serve in KRG-controlled areas. As a result, they regularly pass through federal checkpoints and administrative procedures that require official documentation for carrying weapons.
Under Iraqi law, weapons are supposed to remain under state control, and possession outside official institutions is prohibited, part of broader efforts to curb the spread of firearms across the country.
Similarly, the Kurdistan Regional Government has taken steps in recent years to regulate firearms and restrict weapon carrying largely to security personnel with proper licenses, as part of efforts to reduce violence and strengthen law enforcement.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.