The Kurds’ war against the so-called Islamic State may be grabbing headlines for the battles on the frontline, but far from the fighting the conflict has been good business for 36-year-old Kurdish Erbil gunsmith Bakhtiar Sadr ad-Din Aziz.

Aziz specializes in repairs and custom guns for the Kurds, and Peshmerga are lining up to pick up one of his custom creations, or just to get fixes done on one of their aging AK-47s, M16s or DShK heavy machine guns.

Bakhtiar’s shop is located in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil’s central bazar, and Bakhtiar said it is a family business that was owned by his father, who was once imprisoned by the Saddam Hussein regime for supporting the Peshmerga.

Bakhtyar a Kurdish gunsmith works on an American made assault rifle in his shop in Erbil, Iraq where his father and grandfather worked before him fixing weapons for the Peshmerga during clashes in the region.

Customers wait on their repairs as Bakhtyar hosts his clients with tea and conversation in his shop that has been used by his family for generations to fix weapons used by the Peshmerga.

Bakhtyar a Kurdish gunsmith works on an American made assault rifle in his shop in Erbil, Iraq where his father and grandfather worked before him fixing weapons for the Peshmerga during clashes in the region.

Bakhtyar a Kurdish gunsmith works on an American made assault rifle in his shop in Erbil, Iraq where his father and grandfather worked before him fixing weapons for the Peshmerga during clashes in the region.

Kurdish gunsmith Bakhtyar works on a Russian made machine gun in his shop in Erbil, Iraq where his father and grandfather worked before him fixing weapons for the Peshmerga during clashes in the region. His expertise is in Russian weaponry because that what the Kurdish have been fighting with for decades. He is sometimes called to the front lines to repair heavy machine guns that would be a hassle to transport from the frontlines back to Erbil.

Kurdish gunsmith Bakhtyar works on a Russian made machine gun in his shop in Erbil, Iraq where his father and grandfather worked before him fixing weapons for the Peshmerga during clashes in the region. His expertise is in Russian weaponry because that what the Kurdish have been fighting with for decades. He is sometimes called to the front lines to repair heavy machine guns that would be a hassle to transport from the frontlines back to Erbil.

Customers wait on their repairs as Bakhtyar hosts his clients with tea and conversation in his shop that has been used by his family for generations to fix weapons used by the Peshmerga.

Aziz works on an American made assault rifle in his small shop in Erbil, Iraq while helping a customer with a question he has regarding issues with his rifle.