ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's Embassy in Libya said Saturday it was investigating the fate of 18 Iraqi migrants following reports that they drowned while attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. The embassy said it was coordinating with Libyan security and health authorities and the Red Crescent to verify the reports and establish the fate of the migrants. “To date, the news of their drowning has not been officially confirmed by the relevant Libyan authorities,” Sahaf said. This statement comes days after reports that 10 Kurdish migrants from the Kurdistan Region had drowned while attempting to reach Italy from Libya. Their families rejected the reports, saying they had received information suggesting the migrants could still be alive and detained in Libya. Rudaw previously reported that the 10 were part of a group of 18 people who reportedly left Libya by boat in early August, with the other eight identified by a family representative as Afghan nationals. Sahaf said the embassy continued working to certify the information through reliable official channels before providing further details to “reassure their families and uncover their fate. An Iraqi Kurdish lawmaker, Muthanna Amin, told Rudaw on September 18 that migrants were being held by armed groups rather than Libyan state authorities, citing information from Libyan security services. A video circulating online has shown 10 young men being held captive in Libya, while their families said they had received demands for ransom. An Arabic-speaking narrator identifies them as Kurds. Families of some of the captives told Rudaw that an individual operating under the name “Abu Ali” is demanding a ransom of $4,000 per person for their release. Amin said Iraqi diplomats could not directly negotiate with armed groups because the sites were outside the control of the Libyan state. Earlier in the month, 33 young Kurdish migrants detained in Libya were repatriated to the Kurdistan Region. Driven by unemployment, economic hardship, and the search for better opportunities, young people from the Kurdistan Region continue to undertake dangerous journeys to Europe via Libya and across the Mediterranean. According to the Directorate of Migration, Displaced, and Crisis Response in the Raparin administration, more than 500 migrants have been repatriated from Libya to the Kurdistan Region since 2015, the majority of them from Raparin. RELATED: 10 Kurdish migrants held hostage by Libya’s armed groups: Iraqi MP
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