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Abadi’s Clarifications Fail to Eliminate Kurd’s Worries

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter pauses during an operation to take the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar/Nov. 2015. AP
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter pauses during an operation to take the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar/Nov. 2015. AP
    Baghdad, Irbil — Asharq Al-Awsat
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Abadi’s Clarifications Fail to Eliminate Kurd’s Worries

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter pauses during an operation to take the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar/Nov. 2015. AP
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter pauses during an operation to take the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar/Nov. 2015. AP

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stressed on Thursday that his government would not wage a war against the Kurds, but his comments failed to eliminate worries among the Kurdistan Region residents of a possible movement of the federal forces towards the disputed areas between Baghdad and Irbil.

Early on Thursday, the Peshmerga forces cut off with sand barriers the two main roads connecting Irbil and Dohuk with Mosul. However, these forces reopened the roads at a later time on the same day.

Media official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Mosul Saeed Mamouzini told Asharq Al-Awsat that closing and reopening the two roads were due to the unusual moves conducted by the Popular Mobilization forces currently located in east Mosul, and at the division line with the Peshmerga forces.

Mamouzini said: “The Peshmerga had to cut off the roads for a couple of hours for security measures,” adding that armed members with foreign agendas were currently present among the Mobilization forces, who are trying to create problems and incite a strife.

The latest developments came after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) accused on Wednesday the Iraqi government forces for preparing a major military attack on Kurdish forces in the oil-rich region of Kirkuk and other parts of northern Iraq.

A source close to the Baghdad cabinet told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday the details of what happened on Wednesday following the claims.

He said contacts were launched between high-ranking officials from the government in Baghdad to decrease the level of tension.

“Kurdish parties called President Fouad Massoum to inform him about the menacing position,” the sources said, adding that the president then called the cabinet presidency, which issued a statement to denounce the accusations.

“The government calls on the Kurds to hand over tens of ISIS militants,” the source said.

“The Kurds do not mind, but they are waiting to investigate the fate of around 60 Peshmerga members kidnaped by the terrorist group and whose fates were still unclear,” the source added.

He said that the Kurds fear that the government’s requests to receive the ISIS militants are simply a pretext for an operation to control the oil fields of Kirkuk and other parts of Iraq.

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Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites

Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
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Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites

Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)
Authorities raid smuggling hubs after the death of 92 illegal migrants. (Government media)

Dozens of African migrants escaped death off Yemen’s southern coast when their boat broke down at sea, as government forces raided smuggling sites in Abyan province a day after another shipwreck killed 92 people.

Government sources said Yemeni fishermen rescued 250 migrants from the Horn of Africa, nearly half of them women and most of them Ethiopian, after their vessel was stranded for several days in the Gulf of Aden without food or water. Seven people died before the survivors reached Shabwa province, east of Aden.

Authorities provided first aid to the migrants on arrival in Rudum district, which has become a key landing point after tighter patrols along the western Lahj coast, said the sources.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the group endured a week-long voyage from Somalia after their boat’s engine failed 100 nautical miles from shore. The trip, meant to last 24 hours, stretched to seven days, relying on wind and paddling.

“These people went through a week of hell at sea, facing exploitation, fear and trauma,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s head of mission in Yemen. He urged greater humanitarian action to save lives, step up search and rescue, tackle the drivers of irregular migration and protect vulnerable travelers.

The rescue came as Abyan’s security forces said they raided several coastal sites used by smugglers to shelter incoming migrants, following last week’s disaster off the province’s coast in which 92 people drowned and 23 were saved from a boat carrying about 200 passengers. The rest remain missing.

The operation targeted areas in Shaqra port, including Tamhan, al-Kasara and al-Hajla, as well as a site on Ahwar’s coast, under the supervision of provincial police chief Ali Nasser Bouzeid. He called for regional and international coordination to curb what he described as a security and humanitarian threat.

Bouzeid warned against aiding smugglers, saying several armed men had already been arrested for protecting migrant compounds.

In the Lawdar district, security forces said they detained a “dangerous gang” involved in smuggling African migrants after a firefight in which the suspects threw grenades at police before being captured. Three vehicles were seized, and the detainees will face legal action, the statement added.

The IOM said the latest shipwreck highlights the urgent need to address the dangers along the eastern migration route linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen. It called for prioritizing life-saving aid, expanding safe migration channels and improving coordinated search and rescue.

The agency praised Abyan authorities’ quick response and pledged to support joint efforts to identify survivors, recover bodies and assist affected families.

More than 350 migrants have died or gone missing along the eastern route since the start of the year, the IOM said, warning the real toll is likely far higher.

Every life lost is a stark reminder of the human cost of irregular migration, the agency said, renewing calls for stronger protection systems, effective rescue operations and accountability for smugglers and traffickers.