Iraq flies hundreds back from Belarus border as EU adds sanctions
Iraq has brought back over 400 of its citizens who chose repatriation after weeks stranded in dire conditions on the Belarus border and failed attempts to enter the EU.
ERBIL, Iraq — The international media has been awash for weeks in photos and videos of Iraqis and other would-be migrants suffering from bitterly cold winter conditions in a forested area along the Belarus border with Poland.
Most have been stranded for weeks after unsuccessful attempts to cross the border into Poland on their way to other European countries.
The first humanitarian repatriation flight offered by the Iraqi government from Minsk brought over 400 citizens, the vast majority of them from the Kurdish ethic group, back on the evening of Nov. 18. Registration for those wanting to return had begun a week before.
Thousands of migrants remain on the Belarus border, with estimates ranging between 3,000 and 20,000. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq cited the higher figure in a press release issued on Thursday.
