The Iranian border guards directly targeted a group of Kurdish border porters -known Kolbars- at Baljuk village of Khoy on 5 January and injured two Kolbars, local sources told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

20-year-old Behnam Alizadeh and 25-year-old Ali Yusefi were targeted and wounded by the border guards.

The KHRN released a report on 5 January regarding the death of Kolbars in 2019. According to the KHRN report, 79 Kolbars and the Kurdish tradesmen were killed by Iran’s military forces or lost their life due to natural disasters and insecurity along the Kolbari’s passage while 165 Kolbars and tradesmen were injured in 2019.