Iranian Border Guards Injure Two Kurdish Kolbars Ahead of Nowruz

Iranian border guards have shot and injured two more Kurdish kolbars on the eve of Persian New Year (Nowruz) as violence against the transborder porters continues to surge. 

Mehdi Sharifi, 23, from Saqqez, and Suleiman Amini, 28, from Baneh, both sustained gunshot wounds during firing at the Hengejal border crossing on March 19, according to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

The two injured porters were transferred to medical facilities in Baneh for treatment, with Amini's condition reported as critical.

This is not the first time Amini has been injured by Iranian border forces. The report states he was previously wounded by gunfire at the same location on November 17, 2023.

Kolbars, who carry goods across Iran's borders on foot, endure a long and perilous journey, particularly in the rugged, impoverished Kurdish regions neighboring 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.

Causes of their death include direct fire by military forces, blizzards, cold weather, and falls from mountains and heights.