Call to sanction top KRG officials linked to English Channel smuggling
Iraqi-Kurdish leaders whose region is tied to the majority of small boat crossings from France to the UK must be sanctioned by the British government , a former senior Foreign Office official has said. After the highest number of migrants illegally crossing the English Channel in a single day in 2026, pressure is growing on the Labour government to extend a clampdown on the alleged Kurdish crime…
Former senior Foreign Office official Ben Judah has called for the British government to sanction top Iraqi-Kurdish officials linked to smuggling gangs operating the majority of small boat crossings from France to the UK. The Labour government should use sanctions to show it is serious about the issue, Judah said. Pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan to clamp down on the gangs has been unsuccessful, according to Judah.
A French court has heard that Hajar Mina Abdullah, arrested in 2022, will soon stand trial in Iraq. Despite pressure from Labour ministers, progress has been slow. Small boats are leaving from French beaches divided into patches related to different regions of Iraqi-Kurdistan, according to Judah. Investigations by The National into the gangs' operations have confirmed this.
The failure to intercept smugglers has led to criticism from far-right activists. One activist, Danny Tommo, was arrested after filming himself slashing a migrant dinghy. The spike in numbers, while still below the 2022 record, has been seized on by the far-right to push their anti-migrant agenda.
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