ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The tenth repatriation flight carrying hundreds of Iraqi migrants is scheduled to land in Iraq from Belarus on Friday, Iraqi state media reported an official as saying.
The voluntary evacuation flight will carry over 400 Iraqis, Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry said on Friday.
Thousands of Iraqi and Kurdish people have traveled to eastern Europe in recent months, where they hoped to cross over and make their way to Germany and, from there, the rest of Europe.
In response, Poland has tightened its border security. Some migrants on the Belarus-Poland border have sustained injuries, and several others have lost their lives.
Iraq began offering repatriation flights last month, returning over 3,000 Iraqi and Kurdish migrants from Minsk. It granted 420 return permits to migrants stranded on the Belarus-Poland border on Wednesday.
At least 417 Iraqi and Kurdish migrants, including two children, arrived in Baghdad and Erbil last week.
The exodus of Kurds is part of a migrant crisis that has compelled European nations to fortify their borders. Tensions are high between Belarus and Europe. Minsk has been accused of exploiting the migrants and using them as a pressure tactic against the European Union in answer to sanctions.
Poland has refused to take in any migrants, instead calling on them to return home.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has acknowledged the existence of systemic problems and financial hardships but says it is working to address these issues.
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