Following the systematic killing of Kolbars and tradesmen in Kurdistan border, four people were killed and seven people were wounded by the shooting of the Iranian border guards over the last three weeks, Moreover, a Kolbar has suffered from spinal cord injury by a mine blast while and another Kolbar has been frozen in the border areas of Orumiyeh as a result of frostbite.

Zakarya Bakri

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a tradesman called Hossein Alizadeh (28 years old and son of Ghahraman) lost his life as a result of direct shooting of the police forces in one of the neighbourhoods of Khoy on the evening of Oct 7, 2018. while carrying several cartons of cigar. Meanwhile, on Oct 13, 2018, Iranian Disciplinary Forces also targeted a vehicle belonging to a tradesman called Osman Saeedi on the Marivan-Saqqez road on the pretext of combatting smuggling of goods. He was transferred to the Hospital in Marivan with sever injuries.

The systematic killing of Kolbars has entered a new phase with the warning of Hussein Zolfaghari (the Deputy Minister of Political and Security Affairs) to Kolbars. Accordingly, on Oct 20, 2018, a kolber called Zakarya Bakri from the village of Helij of Orumiyeh was shot and killed by border guards while two other Kolbars called Rahim Ghodsouri and Mostafa Hassani were injured by direct shootings of the guards.in the border areas of Piranshahr and Sardasht respectively.

Shahab Akford

Moreover, a group of the kolbars forced to cross the impassable of Piranshahr due to being ambushed by military forces were captured in a minefield on Oct 22, 2018. As a result of a mine blast, a Kolbar called Shahab Akfodah from Mahabad suffered from spinal cord injury due to the severity of his injury. He has been taken to a hospital in Tabriz for treatment.

In a talk with KHRN, a Kurdish tradesman from Salmas has also confirmed the death and injury of two other tradesmen in the border areas. According to this source, on the evening of Sept 23, 2018, a caravan of the Kolbars was targeted by the shooting of the border guards in the Sari Chichak although they were not carrying any cargo. This attack resulted in the death of a 26-year-old Kolbar called Faramarz Jalibaqo and injury of another one called Zakeri Jalibaqo (30-year-old from the village of Khanavin).

On Oct 26, 2018, the Iranian Border Forces also opened fire on a group of kolbars at the borders of Ghondol in Sardasht and Beljuk in Khoy. As a result, a kolber called Ayub Hosseini (son of Adib) from the village of Beljuk of Khoy and two other Kolbars called Amin Khazhrpor and Khalid Mohammad Pouri were wounded at the border area of Ghondol in Sardasht.

Khezer Mofid

Reports indicate that, on Oct 28, 2018, a kolbar from Sardasht called Khezer Mofid was shot and killed by border guards in the border area of Piranshahr.
According to KHRN investigations, Only in the past three months, at least 16 kolbars and border tradesmen have been targeted and killed by Iranian troops while at least 31 others have been injured. It is noteworthy that four Kolbars have been also injured due to the mine blast and fall from the height while a total of 18 Kolbars have lost their life due to mine blast, Frostbite, falling from the height and accidents.