How Much Does a Gun Cost in Kurdistan?

Militants’ advance means booming business for Kurdish weapon dealers

There are some heavy weapons here. A BKC—an Iraqi clone of the Soviet PKM machine gun—goes for $5,000. One dealer says an RPG-7 launcher and rocket together cost just $200. But the vendors stress that the heavy stuff is only for the Peshmerga and the Asayish. Many dealers in Kirkuk also reserve American weapons like M-16s and M-4s for the Kurdish security forces. But American weapons are plentiful. One dealer explains that the Islamic State’s weapon of choice is a captured Iraqi army M-16.