Baghdad: The Ministry of Interior has denied reports circulating on social media claiming that crime rates have decreased by 70% due to weapons registration measures, reaffirming its continued commitment to the project of regulating and confining arms possession to the state.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the ministry stated, “Certain social media pages have published false information alleging a 70% drop in crime resulting from weapons registration procedures.” It stressed a “complete and unequivocal denial of these claims” and urged the public to “rely solely on official sources for accurate information and avoid being misled by fake and unverified pages.”

The statement emphasized that “the ministry remains committed to the project of organizing and restricting weapons to the authority of the state, with ongoing efforts in this regard,” calling on citizens to “fully cooperate with security forces to ensure the success of this initiative and achieve its intended security and societal goals.”