The UK’s Consulate-General in Erbil on May 28 announced that the UK Home Office and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are working together to combat the organized smuggling of migrants.

Further collaboration between @UKHomeOffice and KRG to combat Organised Immigration Crime: Home Office trainers have provided an advanced forgery detection course to 40 Officers from the MoI in efforts to enhance KRI border capabilities. pic.twitter.com/vRb2vyE8f2

— UK in Erbil (@ukinerbil) May 28, 2024

“Home Office trainers have provided an advanced forgery detection course to 40 Officers from the MoI (Ministry of Interior) in efforts to enhance KRI (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) border capabilities,” the Consulate-General said in a post on X.

The course lasted a total of two days.

“The UK and the Kurdistan Region cooperate closely on combating organized immigration crime, tackling smuggling gangs who encourage people to risk their lives on dangerous and illegal routes,” Communications Officer at the UK’s Consulate-General in Erbil Ronza Aska told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“The UK regularly provides training and capacity building – such as this course on advanced fraud detection methods – to help improve the safety and security of both the UK and the Kurdistan Region.”

On August 23, 2023, KRG Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed and the UK’s Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) focusing on coordination, cooperation, and training to combat organized crime.

“The MoU underscores the ongoing commitment between the KRG and the UK to jointly address transnational organized crimes that pose threats to the public,” the KRG said in a statement.

In November 2023, Minister Ahmed was invited to the UK for a three-day visit to meet with UK officials.

Encouraging talks at @ukhomeoffice with @RobertJenrick, Minister of Immigration, and his team on expanding avenues for collaboration, emphasizing the significance of working together with international partners to address shared challenges in the realm of irregular migration. pic.twitter.com/uCZiZsA8N4

— Rêber Ahmed (@RayberAhmed) November 10, 2023

During his visit Minister Ahmed also met with then-UK Minister of Immigration Robert Jenrick.

Minister Ahmed posted on X on November 10, 2023, that they had discussed avenues for collaboration and emphasized “the significance of working together with international partners to address shared challenges in the realm of irregular migration.”