A group of kolbars from Iran was walking through the valley towards Byara village in Halabja province, near the border. At around 2:30 am, Iraqi border guards opened fire on the group, shooting one man in the buttocks.
"He bled a lot. We took pity on him, because we thought that if he was taken back to Iran, across the border, there was a chance that he could die," a well-informed source told Rudaw English.
Another police source in Halabja also confirmed the incident, saying: "I know that someone from Rojhelat was wounded today, but I don't have any more details." Rojhelat is what Kurds call Kurdish areas of Iran.
The man, in his early 20s, was given first aid treatment in Byara and then sent to Shar Hospital in Sulaimani.
Rudaw English contacted the commander of Sulaimani's border guards, but they did not immediately respond.
Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border. Many are pushed into the profession because of poverty in the Kurdish areas of Iran.
The job is a dangerous one. They carry heavy loads on their backs, over treacherous mountain paths during all weather and are frequently shot at by Iranian border guards. At least 40 were killed by Iranian border guards in 2020, according to Amnesty International.
They are now facing a new risk on the Kurdistan Region side of the border, where officials are cracking down on smuggling. In January, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani ordered the Interior and Peshmerga ministries to form a joint force to prevent smuggling at official and unofficial border points.
"In recent days, Iraq border guards have tightened the border and they've detained 20 people and handed them over to court in Sulaimani," said the police source.
Border guards in the Kurdistan Region had previously tolerated the kolbar trade. Because of the new security, kolbars now flee when they spot Iraqi border guards and it appears that is what occurred this morning when the guards opened fire.
