GENEVA,— Former Iraqi President Barham Salih has been appointed as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, marking a notable shift away from the long-standing practice of appointing leaders from major European donor countries, according to a letter circulated by the office of the U.N. Secretary General.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres confirmed the appointment in a letter dated December 11, stating that Salih would be proposed to the U.N. General Assembly for approval.

The term is set for five years beginning January 1, pending the customary endorsement process by UNHCR’s governing committee, diplomats in Geneva said.

Salih, who is 65, served as president of Iraq from 2018 until 2022. He is expected to replace Italy’s Filippo Grandi, who is stepping down at the end of December after completing a decade as head of the U.N. refugee agency. UNHCR is headquartered in Geneva and operates in more than 130 countries.

According to U.N. officials, Guterres described the approval process as a routine procedure and emphasized the need for continuity at the agency during a period of significant operational and financial strain.

Salih enters the role at a time of mounting challenges for UNHCR. The agency has been affected by sharp reductions in international aid, similar to other U.N. bodies, and has reduced its workforce by nearly 5,000 staff members this year.

That figure represents more than one quarter of its global employees, according to internal agency figures shared with member states.

UNHCR is also facing record levels of global displacement. The agency estimates that more than 117 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes, either within their own countries or across borders.

Funding has declined by approximately 35 percent so far this year, leaving major gaps in assistance programs, according to agency briefings.

The United States, traditionally the largest contributor to UNHCR, has significantly reduced foreign aid allocations under President Donald Trump. Washington had previously provided more than 40 percent of the agency’s annual budget.

The pullback, combined with reductions by other donor nations, has created what outgoing High Commissioner Grandi described as bleak financial projections.

At a press briefing in Geneva, UNHCR spokesman Ewan Watson said that the right to seek asylum, established by international agreements in 1951, is increasingly under pressure. He noted that millions of displaced people now face reduced access to protection, food, shelter, and essential services due to funding shortages.

Salih is a veteran Kurdish politician with decades of experience in Iraqi and regional politics. He has held several senior posts in Baghdad and in the Kurdistan region following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

He was a senior figure in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Iraq’s second-largest Kurdish political party, and took part in the interim authority established after the invasion.

Salih served as one of Iraq’s deputy prime ministers from 2006 to 2009, and later as prime minister of the Kurdistan region from 2009 to 2012.

Fluent in English, Arabic, and Kurdish, Salih served four years as Iraq’s president, a largely ceremonial role that has traditionally been held by a Kurd since 2005.

He is also affiliated with Harvard University as a senior fellow at the Middle East Initiative and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

According to the Belfer Center, Salih holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Cardiff and a doctorate in statistics and computer applications in engineering from the University of Liverpool.

UNHCR is currently hosting its biennial Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva, drawing more than 1,800 participants. T

he meeting is focused on evaluating commitments and identifying responses to long-term displacement challenges, U.N. officials said.

(With files from AFP | Reuters)

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PARIS,— A French criminal court on Tuesday sentenced eight men, including two Iraqi Kurds identified as organizers of the smuggling route, to prison terms ranging from three to fifteen years for their roles in the 2023 Channel disaster that killed seven migrants attempting to reach the United Kingdom.

The defendants were found guilty on charges that included involuntary manslaughter connected to the capsizing of an overloaded boat.

The group on trial consisted of two Iraqi nationals, six Afghans and one Sudanese man. Prosecutors said the accused helped manage a migrant-smuggling network responsible for arranging illegal passages from northern France toward British shores.

The proceedings were part of continuing efforts by French authorities to dismantle criminal groups operating between France, Germany and the UK.

The two 45-year-old Iraqi Kurds received the longest sentences of twelve and fifteen years.

Investigators described them as the principal coordinators responsible for organizing routes and logistical support that ultimately contributed to the fatal journey in which seven Afghans drowned after the vessel’s engine reportedly failed.

The remaining convicted defendants, aged 23 to 45, received penalties consistent with what prosecutors requested.

A ninth man, a Sudanese national from Darfur, was acquitted following a request by the prosecutor’s office, which argued he should be recognized as a victim rather than treated as a participant in the operation.

Authorities said he had been placed on the boat under circumstances that did not justify criminal responsibility.

During the ruling, the presiding judge stated that the defendants exploited people facing significant vulnerability and seeking passage to Britain.

The judge said that those convicted of manslaughter created the conditions that led to the deaths and exposed the other passengers to immediate danger before rescue teams could intervene.

Most of the defendants denied involvement in the crossing or in the network behind it. The Sudanese man who was acquitted addressed the court about the tragedy but denied operating the vessel.

Investigators determined that sixty-seven people had been placed on the boat when it overturned in August 2023.

All seven fatalities were Afghan nationals, while sixty other passengers were rescued through a combined response from French and British emergency services.

The investigative file presented to the court described the smuggling operation as a structured system with organizers in both France and Germany.

Officials said an Iraqi-Kurdish group based in Germany handled logistics, while an Afghan group oversaw migrant recruitment.

France and the United Kingdom have introduced cooperative measures aimed at reducing irregular migration to Britain and targeting the smuggling networks involved.

French courts continue to handle similar cases, including one earlier this year in Lille, where a separate group of Afghans and Iraqi Kurds received prison terms following a 2022 capsizing that resulted in eight deaths.

(With files from AFP)

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LONDON,— A Kurdish asylum seeker who had been granted the right to stay in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to prison for helping run a migrant smuggling operation led by a man once hailed as “the best smuggler,” according to Daily Mail UK.

Anjan Ahmadi, 26, who is believed to be the brother of Iranian Kurdish human trafficker, Amanj Hasan Zada, was given five years and seven months in prison by Preston Crown Court after admitting his role in facilitating illegal entry for two migrants working under Zada, 35, described by investigators as the head of a sophisticated human trafficking network.

According to court records, Ahmadi arrived in Britain illegally before seeking asylum. The Home Office later granted him indefinite leave to remain, which allowed him to live and work in the UK. Prosecutors said he used that status to assist Zada in arranging crossings from Europe into Britain.

Ahmadi appeared in court with the help of a Kurdish interpreter. His defense lawyer, Zarif Khan, told the court his client had been granted asylum shortly before his arrest in July 2024 by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The NCA accused him of aiding Zada in moving migrants through Europe and across the English Channel.

The case has renewed debate in Britain about asylum laws and the system that allows refugees indefinite leave to remain. Critics say it can be exploited by criminals.

Reform UK has pledged to end the policy if it wins the next general election, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said at the Labour Party Conference that her department will prevent those with criminal histories or who claim benefits from qualifying for it.

After receiving permanent status, Ahmadi became closely involved with Zada’s operations. Zada, known on social media for advertising illegal crossings with customer “testimonials,” had already been convicted in November 2023 and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

He was linked to at least three Channel crossings involving Kurdish migrants who had traveled through Turkey and eastern Europe before reaching France.

Authorities said Zada’s operation was profitable and well organized. NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke said the gang’s reach extended far beyond the cases proven in court.

“There is no doubt Zada’s group facilitated many more illegal crossings,” Clarke said. “It was a commercial enterprise built entirely on profit.”

During the investigation, agents discovered videos of Zada celebrating with firearms and throwing money at parties. In one video filmed in Iraq in 2021, musicians sing in Kurdish calling him “the best smuggler,” as Zada fires a gun in the air.

Ahmadi served as Zada’s driver and assistant, the court was told, often handling logistics and communications with migrants.

The two men lived together in Preston on Stefano Road and are believed to be brothers, though that relationship has not been officially confirmed.

The NCA found evidence linking Ahmadi to migrant coordination, including phone records and online messages. A voice note on his phone revealed him referring a potential migrant to another smuggler who specialized in lorry crossings, telling the man to “go with my name.”

Ahmadi later pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitating illegal immigration to the UK and the European Union.

His attorney said Ahmadi lived modestly and earned a small income, adding, “He was not the organizer. He acted under Zada’s direction.”

Judge Andrew Jefferies KC told Ahmadi that his involvement was “purely commercial” and that he “must have expected some financial benefit.” The judge said he will likely be deported before completing his sentence, pending Home Office approval.

Following the sentencing, Clarke said Ahmadi had played a “critical role” as Zada’s right-hand man. “They treated desperate people as a commodity,” he said. “We’ve worked with partners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to pursue the network from the UK back to its source.”

In January 2025, NCA cooperation with law enforcement in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region led to arrests in Sulaimani, including two suspected smugglers and a financial broker accused of laundering funds for the group.

Clarke added that the agency’s global reach allows it to “dismantle criminal networks at every stage.”

(With files from Daily Mail UK)

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LONDON,— The British government has issued its first wave of sanctions aimed at dismantling international people-smuggling rings, with a sharp focus on Iraqi Kurdish operatives and other syndicates stretching across Asia, the Balkans, and North Africa.

Announced on Wednesday, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) revealed that 25 individuals and entities are being sanctioned for facilitating irregular migration into Britain.

According to the official press release from GOV.UK, this move marks the launch of a new global sanctions regime explicitly designed to disrupt immigration crime.

Among those penalized are key Iraqi Kurdish figures accused of trafficking migrants through concealed truck compartments and across the English Channel via inflatable boats. British officials say these actors form a core part of transnational criminal systems profiting from human displacement.

The U.K. has frozen assets and imposed travel bans on several individuals, including Iraqi Kurds Goran Assad Jalal and Hêmin Ali Salih, who are reportedly involved in smuggling migrants into Britain using lorries. Others, such as Azad Khoshnaw and Nuzad Khoshnaw, are accused of supplying inflatable boats and outboard motors for dangerous Channel crossings.

Sanctions have also been applied to hawala networks tied to smuggling operations through the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. British authorities have named three Kurdish individuals allegedly central to these financial pathways.

Muhammed Khadir Pirot, a hawala banker, is accused of managing payments from migrants moving from Iraq through Turkey toward Europe.

Mariwan Jamal is said to operate behind the scenes, helping direct funds through hawala intermediaries linked to smuggling networks. Meanwhile, Rafiq Shaqlaway, another Iraqi Kurd, is alleged to act as a financial advisor to migrants arranging payment to traffickers along key routes into Europe.

These informal money channels—difficult to trace and largely unregulated—allow smuggling operations to receive payments undetected, British officials say. By cutting off access to the UK financial system, the sanctions aim to sever these pipelines and cripple the support structure behind trafficking operations.

“These actions show the UK will go after smugglers no matter where they operate,” said Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “We are using every tool available to hold these criminals accountable and prevent further loss of life.”

The designations target those engaged in activities ranging from maritime equipment supply to arranging forged travel documents and managing migrant transport routes. The U.K. asserts that halting financial and material support is crucial to interrupting the business model of human trafficking.

Other names on the list include Bledar Lala, an Albanian member, identified as overseeing the Belgium operations of a smuggling ring; Alen Basil, an ex-police interpreter accused of leading a violent network in Serbia; and Mohammed Tetwani, described as the “King of Horgos,” who allegedly ran a camp known for brutal treatment of refugees.

In North Africa and the Balkans, entire smuggling gangs such as the Kazawi and Tetwani groups are included, both reportedly known for extortion, violence, and sexual abuse of migrants unable to pay. The sanctions also apply to figures involved in manufacturing fake passports, including members of the Kavač and Škaljari gangs in Montenegro and Serbia.

One Chinese company, Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co., has been blacklisted for manufacturing and promoting small boats online allegedly tailored for illegal crossings.

British authorities say this comprehensive enforcement strategy supports the “Plan for Change,” a national effort to reduce unauthorized migration and reinforce border controls. The campaign aligns with the National Crime Agency (NCA), which works alongside international law enforcement to dismantle organized smuggling operations.

NCA Director General Graeme Biggar said the sanctions provide “a powerful new way” to dismantle criminal networks exploiting migrants for profit. “These sanctions will disrupt the financial and logistical capabilities of key networks facilitating illegal entry into the UK,” he added.

The policy also introduces new legal powers under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act, giving the U.K. government authority to freeze assets, ban travel, and disqualify individuals from holding corporate positions in the U.K.

The new Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime will be reviewed in Parliament after summer recess. Until then, the FCDO says it will continue building cases against offenders and collaborate with allies to expand the list.

Officials note that over 35,000 individuals without legal status in the U.K. have been returned to their countries since the last election, marking a 13% increase from the previous year. This approach falls under the broader “disrupt, deter, return” strategy intended to minimize irregular migration routes.

The government says future designations will continue to target traffickers across all regions, reinforcing Britain’s stance against organized immigration crime.

(With files from gov.uk)

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LILLE, France,— A court in northern France sentenced seven Afghan nationals and two Iraqi Kurds to prison terms ranging from seven to eight years for their roles in a failed migrant crossing in 2022 that ended in multiple deaths near the UK coastline.

The group was convicted in connection with a smuggling operation that launched a dinghy from France toward England in the early hours of December 14, 2022. The vessel, which carried migrants from Afghanistan, Senegal, Albania, and India, sank in cold waters just short of its destination.

French authorities reported that four people died and four remain missing. Only one body—a man from Afghanistan—was formally identified. Rescuers pulled 39 survivors from the water.

Three of the convicted individuals received the maximum eight-year sentence, including one Afghan who was tried in absentia and is considered the architect of the operation. Others received seven-year terms. The court also imposed fines between €50,000 and €100,000 per person and ordered their deportation upon completing their prison terms.

Among those convicted were two Afghan siblings said to have financed the journey, and another Afghan who arranged for passengers to join the crossing. He claimed he was coerced into helping due to threats.

The verdicts follow a broader effort by France and the UK to target human trafficking rings facilitating illegal crossings of the English Channel. Smugglers typically use overloaded rubber boats, often charging thousands of euros per person.

According to French prosecutors, passengers aboard the ill-fated vessel had each paid approximately €3,500 ($4,000). Witnesses in the investigation described hearing a loud pop—likely the boat rupturing—before departure, but smugglers dismissed the issue.

Conditions at sea were rough, and life jackets were in short supply. Survivors testified that the individuals who died were not wearing flotation devices. The boat began to take on water within two hours of launch. In a panic, passengers stood up to signal for help, which caused the boat to split and capsize.

French authorities said the incident was one of the most lethal in recent years. A similar event in November 2021 left 27 migrants dead off the coast near Calais.

Efforts to prevent such crossings continue. While France currently allows rescue operations at sea, authorities are considering measures to block vessels before they enter open waters. Legal and safety concerns have delayed implementation.

A tenth suspect in the 2022 case is being held in Belgium and is expected to face trial separately.

In the UK, a Senegalese minor identified as the pilot of the boat was previously sentenced to nine years in a separate trial.

At least 17 migrants have died attempting the Channel route so far in 2025, following a record 78 deaths in 2024, according to official figures.

In a related development, two Kurdish men from Caerphilly, Wales, pleaded guilty in the United Kingdom in November 2024.

The pair admitted to operating a large-scale human trafficking network responsible for moving thousands of migrants across Europe. Their case highlights the ongoing challenge authorities face in dismantling organized smuggling rings linked to dangerous Channel crossings.

(Credit: AFP | Agencies)

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BIRMINGHAM,— Four men originally from Iraqi Kurdistan have been sentenced to nearly 30 years combined in prison for promoting and funding terrorism through a messaging app, British counter-terrorism authorities announced Friday.

The U.K.’s Counter Terrorism Policing unit stated on May 23, that the Kurdish men used a WhatsApp group between 2022 and 2023 to distribute extremist content and coordinate funding efforts for the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS), which is banned under U.K. law.

Mohammed Hamad, 30, born in Iraq, who entered the United Kingdom unlawfully in 2016, pleaded guilty earlier this week at Liverpool Crown Court to two charges related to sharing terrorist materials. He was detained in March 2024 in Liverpool and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Reporting restrictions on the case were lifted this week following the conclusion of court proceedings.

Authorities also identified Roshman Azad Wali Saeed, a 30-year-old Kurd from Birmingham, as a central figure in the scheme. Saeed was convicted in April 2024 of six counts tied to the dissemination of terrorist materials and involvement in terrorist financing. He was handed a 12-year prison term by Birmingham Crown Court.

Another suspect, Tshko Ahmad Mohamad, 33-year-old Kurd from West Bromwich, received a seven-year sentence for terrorism fundraising after being convicted during the same trial.

The investigation expanded in April 2023, when officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East arrested 24-year-old Omar Hussain Ahmadi at Stansted Airport.

He was found carrying £7,000 concealed in infant formula containers. Authorities also seized his mobile phone, which contained key evidence.

Ahmadi, who resides in Sheffield, admitted to being part of a terrorist financing arrangement and received a five-year, seven-month sentence last December in Birmingham.

Police seized more than £4,000 in cash, over 30 SIM cards, and numerous mobile phones during the probe. Many of the messages recovered from the group were translated and found to explicitly support the Islamic State, along with graphic visuals.

“This group was clearly committed to supporting Islamic State operations,” said Detective Superintendent Annie Miller of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands. “We will act on any online activity that promotes or supports terrorism in any form.”

(With files from UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing)

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RANYA, Iraqi Kurdistan,— Deported Iraqi Kurds face struggles and uncertainty as they return home after years in Europe, only to find themselves back where they started — jobless, burdened with debt, and frustrated by limited opportunities.

For Mohammed Jalal, returning to Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region after a decade-long attempt to secure asylum in Germany was not a homecoming — it was a setback.

At 39, Jalal now lives with his elderly father in a cramped, two-room apartment in the town of Ranya. They sleep on thin mattresses spread over a cold concrete floor. Work has been scarce, and Jalal survives on roughly $150 a month sent by relatives living abroad.

“If I could go back to Europe, I would,” he said in an interview with AFP. “I dream of the day German authorities let me work legally — maybe in a Kurdish restaurant.”

Jalal is among the thousands of Iraqis who, after being denied asylum, have been forcibly returned from Europe as governments tighten migration rules under pressure from rising right-wing political movements.

Between late 2023 and the end of 2024, about 125,000 non-Europeans were ordered to leave European Union countries — a 16 percent increase from the previous year, according to EU data.

Germany, which has received large numbers of asylum seekers over the past decade, is clear in its position. “As a matter of principle, Germany repatriates individuals who are required to leave the country,” the German Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement.

While Germany has sheltered millions fleeing war, including many Iraqis, it adds, “there are no prospects of residence for people who enter irregularly without a need for protection.”

Jalal’s own journey began in 2015, when he left Turkey’s coastal city of Izmir and crossed the Mediterranean to Greece.

From there, he moved through North Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia before finally reaching Germany. At a reception center, he lived on an allowance of about €300 (roughly $385) a month.

Although the law barred him from working, Jalal quietly picked up jobs in cities like Munich and Nuremberg, all the while dodging authorities.

But despite his efforts, his asylum applications were denied twice, and he was deported back to Iraq in January 2024.

Since his return, Jalal has struggled to get back on his feet. His brief attempt at opening a bakery ended in failure. He worked two months at a falafel stall for just $7 a day, and soon found himself unemployed again.

Many Kurds who return tell similar stories. Hardi Ahmed, also from Ranya, left for the United Kingdom in 2021.

His journey, he says, was marked by tragedy. He lost three friends, including one who drowned while crossing the Channel between France and Britain.

Ahmed was eventually sent back to France and then home to Iraq, where he now waits — unemployed, frustrated, and critical of local authorities. “If the government doesn’t provide jobs, young people will keep trying to leave for Europe,” he told AFP.

Despite presenting itself as a haven of relative calm in an otherwise turbulent Iraq, the Kurdistan region is frequently criticized for cracking down on dissent and restricting freedom of expression.

For decades, the region has been dominated by two powerful political families: the Barzanis, who lead the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Talabanis, who head the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Observers and critics say that under Barzani control, the region suffers from deep-seated nepotism and corruption.

The ruling families, they argue, have used the oil wealth of Iraqi Kurdistan to enrich themselves rather than improve living conditions for ordinary citizens. These entrenched economic and political issues have helped fuel the exodus of young Kurds seeking a better life elsewhere.

To manage the wave of returnees, European countries are increasingly partnering with Iraq on reintegration programs.

The German development agency GIZ, for example, operates centers in Erbil and Baghdad offering job training, business grants, and counseling services.

Between June 2023 and August 2024, these centers assisted about 350 returnees, with funding from Germany, Switzerland, and the European Union.

Thomas Seiler, the EU’s ambassador to Iraq, said the bloc is working on a formal readmission agreement with Baghdad. “The capacity of many European towns and cities to receive and integrate migrants has long been reached,” Seiler said in an interview. “Preventing irregular migration is now a clear priority.”

The EU is also channeling tens of millions of euros into programs aimed at persuading Iraqis to remain in their home country rather than embark on risky journeys abroad.

In Kurdistan, local groups have joined the effort. The Rwanga Foundation, a Kurdish non-governmental organization, owned by the Barzanis, has launched projects to help returnees rebuild.

Funded by Denmark and Finland, the foundation has trained 120 people and provided business grants of up to $5,600 to 15 individuals, supporting ventures in construction, carpentry, electronics repair, restaurants, and beauty services.

“Many return home saddled with debt from their migration,” said Kamiran Shivan, who oversees Rwanga’s programs. “They come back without income or assets to pay it off.”

One of those helped by Rwanga is Mohammed Ismail, 29, who left Iraq for Germany in 2016 hoping for a European passport and a new start. But after three rejected asylum applications — Germany deemed Erbil a safe area — Ismail was returned home.

Today, he co-owns a small mechanic’s shop in Kurdistan, earning around $550 a month, enough to support his wife and young child. “I no longer think about emigrating,” Ismail said. “If I ever go back to Europe, it will be as a tourist.”

For Jalal and many like him, though, the future remains filled with uncertainty. As migration options narrow and local opportunities fail to materialize, the dreams that once carried them across continents now sit unfulfilled — waiting, perhaps, for another chance.

(With files from AFP)

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BAGHDAD,— Iraq’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has imposed a temporary suspension on the hiring of foreign workers from five nations, a government spokesman said Tuesday.

The restriction applies to laborers from Syria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, according to ministry representative Hassan Khuwam. He stated that the decision blocks workers from these countries from entering Iraq for employment purposes.

The move follows the implementation of Resolution No. 24832, issued in 2024 by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. The directive requires companies and investors operating in Iraq to employ at least 80% Iraqi nationals and limit the use of foreign workers to no more than 20%. Employers are also directed to use the ministry’s “Mihan” platform to fill jobs with local candidates.

Officials say the policy supports national labor and addresses illegal residency issues. In March, the Ministry of Interior reported the detention of 738 foreign workers in Baghdad over residency violations.

That same month, Iraqi authorities began a broad crackdown on non-citizens accused of overstaying visas or lacking valid documentation. The campaign included home and workplace inspections, which led to the arrest and deportation of several Syrians.

The government’s actions have sparked concern from rights groups. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Iraq hosted over 300,000 refugees by the end of 2023, the majority being Syrians.

Human Rights Watch reported that it has often spoken with Syrian nationals in Erbil and Baghdad, including individuals holding valid Iraqi residency permits who still faced deportation, as well as others registered as refugees with the UNHCR.

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BERLIN,— German police, in coordination with Europol and French authorities, carried out extensive pre-dawn raids on Wednesday targeting an alleged Iraqi Kurdish criminal network involved in smuggling migrants across the English Channel.

According to German police, over 500 officers conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations in western Germany, including Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Grevenbroich, and Bochum.

The operation focused on dismantling a group accused of transporting migrants from the Middle East and East Africa to France and Britain using unsafe inflatable boats. The properties searched included residential addresses and storage facilities, with warrants issued by a court in Lille, France.

Authorities revealed that more than 20 French investigators and three Europol officials were directly involved in the operation. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the raids a “severe blow to the ruthless international trafficking of migrants,” highlighting their significant impact.

“These criminal networks exploit vulnerable individuals, forcing them into perilous journeys in overcrowded and poorly equipped boats,” Faeser stated. “Such practices not only endanger lives but also profit from human suffering. We are determined to take firm action against this ruthless trade.”

The crackdown follows an investigation into a broader smuggling network led by Belgian, French, and German authorities. Earlier this year, these efforts resulted in 19 arrests connected to another Iraqi Kurdish group accused of organizing the purchase, storage, and transportation of boats used for crossings from beaches near Calais, France, to the UK. Europol, headquartered in The Hague, confirmed these arrests and highlighted the growing prevalence of migrant smuggling via small boats since 2019.

In addition to the raids, German police targeted a refugee home in Essen, a detail first reported by the German daily Bild. However, officials have not yet disclosed the number of arrests made during the operation.

The issue of small-boat crossings has surged in recent years, overtaking other smuggling methods, such as hiding migrants in the back of trucks. Europol reports that in 2023 alone, approximately 30,000 migrants arrived in Britain using over 600 boats.

The problem has also led to significant prosecutions. In November 2024, Amanj Hasan Zada, an Iranian Kurdish man who described himself as ‘the best smuggler,’ was sentenced in the UK to 17 years in prison for organizing illegal Channel crossings.

Also last month, two Kurdish men from Caerphilly, Wales, named as Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir, admitted to operating a large-scale people-smuggling ring that moved thousands of migrants across Europe. The case was the result of a comprehensive investigation by the NCA in partnership with Gwent Police.

The raids in Germany highlight the scale and complexity of smuggling networks operating across Europe. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned about the dangers posed by these criminal groups, which often exploit desperate migrants while reaping significant profits.

As cross-border operations like this one intensify, officials remain committed to combating the growing threat of human smuggling and ensuring the safety of those affected.

(With files from AFP | Reuters | Agencies)

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LONDON,— The UK has announced a “world-first security agreement” with Iraq, aimed at dismantling people-smuggling networks and strengthening border controls.

The deal, hailed as a major step in combating organized immigration crime, also includes broader cooperation to enhance border security measures between the two countries.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who recently visited Iraq and its autonomous Kurdistan region, described the agreement as a clear signal of the UK’s determination to address cross-border crime.

“Smuggling networks have a far-reaching presence, extending from Northern France and Germany across Europe to Iraq’s Kurdistan region and beyond,” Cooper remarked. “This agreement reflects our steadfast dedication to combating criminal networks through robust international partnerships.”

The agreement includes a joint declaration between the UK and Iraq, pledging both countries to deepen their cooperation in tackling people-smuggling operations and bolstering border security measures.

Another key element focuses on expediting the return of individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK while providing support for reintegration programs in Iraq.

As part of the agreement, the UK will provide up to £300,000 to train Iraqi law enforcement officers in border security and countering organized crime, including drug trafficking.

An additional £200,000 will fund projects in Iraq’s Kurdistan region to boost capabilities in handling irregular migration and improve border management, including establishing a new task force.

The agreement also emphasizes combating misinformation propagated by people-smuggling networks online. A targeted communications campaign will aim to counter false promises and myths spread by smugglers to exploit vulnerable individuals.

The Home Office described this initiative as the most comprehensive operational package ever developed between the UK and Iraq to address serious organized crime and people smuggling.

Cooper reiterated its significance, stating, “This world-first agreement shows that even countries thousands of miles apart can unite to tackle shared challenges and send a clear message to criminal gangs: we are coming for you.”

In early November 2024, two Kurdish men from Caerphilly pleaded guilty to operating a major people-smuggling ring that trafficked thousands of migrants across Europe.

On November 4, 2024 another Kurdish man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for orchestrating illegal Channel crossings. The sentence highlights the UK’s growing efforts to disrupt smuggling operations bringing migrants into the country.

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