Reuters DeathNet reports on the surging price of guns in Iraq. Apparently a Tariq (a locally made automatic pistol) used to go for $150 in 2003, now selling for $600. An AK-47, meanwhile, was yours for $50 in the good old days. Now you could shell out up to $350 for a Russian-made one (the Chinese ones are apparently cheaper).
“People want guns and bullets,” said Fares Abid, a 38-year black market dealer of athletic build, wearing a grimy T-shirt. “If somebody wants a gun, I’ll deliver it within the hour.”