ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Thursday that six Kurdish migrants stranded in Libya were brought back, with 14 others expected to be returned soon.

“Six more young men were safely returned to the Kurdistan Region,” the KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC) said in a statement.

The repatriated men are from Sulaimani province’s Raparin administration and reportedly traveled to Libya around two months ago.

“Following medical screening and treatment by airport health teams, the Ministry of Interior teams safely handed the young people over to their families,” the statement added.

“Fourteen other young men have also been found in prisons,” it said, noting that Kurdish authorities are currently working with relevant authorities to bring them back home in the coming days. 

Earlier in October, eleven Kurdish migrants stranded in Libya were returned to the Kurdistan Region, bringing the total number of repatriated Kurds from the country since September to 44.

The recent initiatives taken by KRG have reduced the use of the Libyan migration route by 87 percent, the JCC said. 

At least 346 Kurdish migrants have been repatriated from Libya in recent years.

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 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.