The migrants and refugee monitoring group spokesperson Bahoz Barzan told reporters in Sulaimani that people continue to leave Iraq in large numbers.

"People continue to migrant in the world, Iraq and the Kurdistan region due to political, economic and social instability that has confronted the region for years," the spokesperson said. Millions of Iraqis have left the crisis-hit country in the past seven years, per Barzan.

We continue to serve migrants and refugees despite the lack of sufficient funds, according to the speaker. The Summit Foundation is an NGO funded by international organizations that have helped many refugees and migrants leaving Iraq in their ways in search of a better life; or track trapped or drowned migrants overseas to return their coffins.

Barzan also spoke about special assistance it has offered migrants, saying, "[we] have offered assistance to migrants losing their ways in route to Europe as they were headed to Libya or Egypt and helped them return home to the Kurdistan region." Migration smuggles misled Kurdish migrants and took them to Libya or Egypt instead of Europe. 

The Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister's Office has helped migrants return home or covered deceased migrant body repatriation fees. "We do cooperate with the Kurdistan Regional Government and they have been helpful," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson noted a similar number of migrants had left the Kurdistan region and Iraq in 2021 and 2022. "2021 saw 73,325 people migrating while 71,225 have left Iraq 2022," the spokesperson answered a reporter. According to the Summit Foundation, over 650 thousand people have left Iraq since 2015.

Many Iraqis continue to leave Iraq and the Kurdistan region for Europe in search of a better life as unemployment and inflation continue to rise in Iraq.