Security situation in Afghanistan, Iraq still risky: Migri

The security situation in Afghanistan continues to be unstable, according to the updated assessment of the security situation by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).

There are still several areas where people cannot be expected to return because of the security situation, said a Migri press release.

These areas included the Helmand province, the districts of Tirinkot, Dehrawud and Chora in the Uruzgan province, Achin, Chaparhar, Batikot, Pachieragam, Dehbala, Shinwar, Sherzad, Muhmand Dara and Khogyani in the Nangarhar province, the districts of Ghorak, Khakrez, Maiwand, Nesh and Shah Wali Kot in the Kandahar province.

When the level of violence is estimated to be extreme in a certain area, everyone residing in that area are considered to be in danger.

In that case, it is possible to grant a person subsidiary protection status solely on the basis of his or her place of residence.

In Iraq, there are currently no areas where the level of armed violence would be so extreme that everyone returning to the area would be at risk of being subjected to armed violence. Asylum seekers’ need of international protection is always assessed individually.

The security situation in Iraq continues to vary, and there are several areas where the level of violence is high.

These areas include, for example, the districts of Mosul and Sinjar in the Nineveh province and the districts of Hawija and Daquq in the Kirkuk province.

Additionally, the Migri now considers that the security situation in the province of Diyala in Iraq has deteriorated, and the risk of armed violence is high in three of its districts.

The Migri acquires information about countries in many ways. In addition to fact-finding missions, the sources include the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), research institutions and the country information services of other countries as well as their networks of researchers.

In 2020, the largest number of new asylum seekers has arrived from Turkey, Iraq and Russia. The total number of asylum applications submitted this year is 1,591, of which 572 were first applications (situation on 29 June 2020).