Iran's Border Forces Again Shoot Two Kolbars

Border forces of the Islamic Republic shot and seriously wounded two kolbars amid an escalation of violence against the transborder porters.

They have been identified as Hamid Ahmadi from Divandarreh and Mahmoud (last name unknown) from Baneh. 

They were severely injured by direct gunfire from the Iranian border guards in the Sartazin border area of Baneh on Sunday, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

Kolbars are porters who haul goods on their backs and feet over long distances across Iran's borders, mainly around the impoverished, mountainous Kurdish areas adjacent to Iraq.

According to the Kolbar News website, a total of 85 kolbars lost their lives while transporting goods in the western provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah between March and September 2023.

The causes of their deaths include direct fire by military forces, blizzards, cold weather, and falls from mountains and heights.