Iraq dismantles 10-member trafficking network in Baghdad

The network allegedly lured foreign nationals to Iraq with promises of employment before holding them captive and torturing them. The suspects allegedly documented the abuse and sent the footage to victims’ families while demanding large sums of money for their release, according to the INIS.

News

Libyan human trafficking network kidnaps eight Kurds, threatens to harvest their organs

“In July of last year, 158 young Kurds were arrested together. For a long time we were subjected to humiliation, beatings, and threats of having our kidneys removed,” a young man who escaped the gang after being held in captivity for seven months told The New Region.

News

Family of alleged Kurdish people smuggler denies BBC claims

The BBC claimed that Kardo Muhammad Amen Jaf has been arrested by the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency over his alleged involvement in a people smuggling ring.

News

UK jails Kurdish man on ‘modern slavery’ charges

Margai was out of the UK when authorities first raided his car wash, but he was arrested in March 2021 upon returning to the country.

News

Iraq says dismantled 220 human trafficking networks in 2025

Human trafficking in Iraq often takes the form of “foreign workers” imported into the country by trafficking networks and forced to work under harsh conditions for lengthy hours and minimal payment.

News

Iraq, Austria discuss cooperation on illegal migration, human trafficking

Over 15,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region illegally migrated to Europe during the first six months of 2025, according to a local monitor.

News

Seven trafficked foreign workers rescued in Baghdad

The workers reportedly included three Ukrainians, three Kazakhs, and one Tajik

News

UK, Iraq, Kurdistan Region sign landmark border security pact

The agreement "sets out the commitments of both countries to work more closely in tackling people smuggling and bolster border security"

News

PM Barzani discusses combating illegal migration with UK home secretary

Barzani expressed his gratitude for the UK’s support for the Kurdistan Region, and expressed hopes to strengthen bilateral ties in all sectors.

News