Iraqi woman dies near Poland-Belarus border

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Belarusian authorities found the body of an Iraqi immigrant at the border between Poland and Belarus.

In recent months, thousands of largely Middle Eastern migrants have attempted to enter the European Union countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland through the eastern European country of Belarus.

"Today, on September 19, the body of a woman of non-Slavic appearance was discovered within a meter of the Belarus-Poland border," Belarusian Usovo border official Yevgeny Omes told state news agency Belta.

According to him, there were "clear signs" that the woman's body was "dragged" from Poland into the Belarusian side of the border.

The victim's husband said that the Polish border guards took them against their will, barefoot, to the Belarusian side. Three children, a man, and an elderly woman were found near the body.

The Belta news agency claimed that three children, aged between 5 and 7 years, an elderly woman, and a man, all Iraqis, were by the dead body.

The agency added that Belarusian authorities have opened an investigation into the incident and invited representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to visit the site.

Amid an influx of migrants near its border, the Polish government ordered a 30-day state of emergency along its borders in early September.

It also sent 2,000 soldiers there and began building barbed-wire fences to curb immigration, AFP reported.