Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s embassy in Libya has located 23 migrants who entered the country irregularly, its Chargé d’Affaires Ahmed al-Sahhaf said on Thursday.

In a statement, al-Sahhaf noted the embassy immediately began verifying their identities and facilitating their voluntary return to Iraq in coordination with the relevant Libyan authorities.

He warned that human trafficking and smuggling networks continue to endanger the lives of young Iraqis, calling for greater public awareness and stronger security cooperation to curb the phenomenon.

Earlier, the embassy confirmed that 40 Iraqi migrants will be repatriated on October 25.

Libya has become a major transit hub for Iraqis attempting to reach Europe through irregular routes. Over the past 18 months, Iraqi authorities have reported a sharp increase in citizens detained or stranded in Libya, many of them from the Kurdistan Region’s al-Sulaymaniyah and Duhok provinces.

Read more: A one-way ticket: Iraq's youth bet it all on a migration gamble