Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the first UK government Secretary of State to visit Iraq since 2021, signed the agreement during a three-day official visit to the country. The visit included meetings with Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ministers, including Interior Minister Abdulameer Al-Shimmeri and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudanl.
The agreement includes a commitment from both countries to work together in dismantling smuggling networks operating out of Iraq and the KRI, which have been responsible for trafficking thousands of people across Europe and the Channel to the UK. The UK has pledged £300,000 for training Iraqi law enforcement in border security and narcotics control, and an additional £200,000 to support border security projects in the KRI.
“These landmark commitments between the UK government and Iraq and the KRI send a clear signal to the criminal smuggling gangs that we are determined to work across the globe to go after them,” said Home Secretary Cooper. She emphasized the need for international cooperation to address the global reach of organized immigration crime, stating that “Organised criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too.”
The agreement also focuses on returning individuals with no right to be in the UK, with the UK government reaffirming its commitment to swift returns while upholding international law and human rights.