ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Embassy in Libya on Saturday said it is closely monitoring the fate of 18 nationals that entered Libya illegally, following reports of their drowning in the Mediterranean, which it said have not been confirmed.

“We are closely and urgently monitoring the fate of 18 Iraqi migrants who entered Libya illegally,” Charge d’Affaires Ahmed al-Sahhaf said in a statement.

He added that the embassy is working with Libyan authorities, health agencies, and the Red Crescent to “verify circulating reports regarding their drowning in the Mediterranean Sea,” adding that the reports remain unconfirmed.

Many migrants trekking the perilous journey to Europe use the Libyan waterways to reach Italy through smuggling routes, often using boats that are not seaworthy and are prone to capsizing in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is also set to repatriate three more migrants from Libya, while efforts continue to find and return 11 others who remain missing, Salim Pasha, a senior advisor at the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), told The New Region on Monday.

Earlier this month, 33 Kurdish migrants who had gone missing in Libya were returned to the Kurdistan Region, in an effort by the DFR under the directive of Prime Minister Barzani, and in coordination with the Iraqi Embassy in Tripoli.

The Iraqi government has routinely warned of the dangers of illegal migration, with Libya having gained popularity in recent years as a major transit hub on the journey to Europe. Not counting individuals from the Kurdistan Region, more than 50 Iraqi migrants have been returned to the country in recent years.

Over 700,000 migrants were registered in Libya last year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In November, the IOM said more than 1,000 people had died trying to reach Europe through the Central Mediterranean migration route in 2025.