As Syria erupts, Iraqi networks expand arms trafficking
Local governments are fighting an uphill battle against a burgeoning black-market weapons trade, amidst fears that Syrian violence is stoking sectarian conflict in Iraq.
Security forces in Dhi Qar province display recently seized weapons. (STAFF/Iraq Oil Report)
Weapons traffickers are stepping up their arms purchases in Iraq's southern provinces, in a widespread smuggling effort to back the uprising in Syria.
To date, much of the Iraqi support for the Syrian uprising has come through Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold, which shares a long western border with Syria. But now that rebel network appears to be spreading into the Shiite-majority south – a development that is causing Iraqi leaders to worry that Syrian unrest is straining Iraq's sectarian tensions.
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