According to Kurdpress, the kidnapping of more than 300 Iraqi Kurdish immigrants in Libya has revealed one of the most shocking recent cases of human trafficking on the way to Europe; A case whose dimensions have gone beyond extortion and torture and reached the threat of forced organ harvesting.

According to research published by the BBC, these migrants, who were mainly young Kurds from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, were kidnapped by a militia group in Libya in the summer of 2025 while crossing Libya to reach Britain. The smugglers demanded 5,000 dollars from their families for the release of each person and threatened to take all the hostages out if they did not pay.

According to this report, the smugglers used to send pictures and videos of torturing the hostages to their families. After being released, some victims told reporters that about 180 people were kept in a small cell under inhumane conditions. At least one hostage has been confirmed dead, and it is unclear how many are still in captivity.

In the center of this case, the name of "Noah Aron" has been mentioned among the Kurdish smugglers from the city of Rania in the Kurdistan region; A person who led migrants through North Africa and then across the Mediterranean to Europe. According to BBC research, there was a dispute between this smuggler and the Libyan militia over the payment of money, and this issue led to the widespread hostage taking of migrants. Aron is currently serving a 10-year sentence in France for money laundering and human trafficking.

The investigation also points to his connection with another trafficker named "Cardo Jaffe" who was recently arrested. Both are from Rania; According to the report of Chatham House think tank, the area has become one of the active centers of human trafficking networks in the Kurdistan Region.

The horrifying part of the story was revealed when the families of the hostages showed reporters pictures of the surgical results on their children's bodies. Some families believe that their children were forced to give up their body parts for freedom. The BBC has also announced that video evidence and the testimony of some freed people strengthen the possibility of the forced removal of body parts.

In January 2026, more than 110 freed hostages were returned to the Kurdistan Region by a flight organized by the Iraqi government. However, Iraqi Kurdistan officials believe dozens more are either missing or may have fallen victim to organ trafficking networks.