Kurdish Kolbar Dies After Being Shot by Iranian Border Forces

A young Kurdish kolbar who was shot by government forces in the Nowsud border area succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

Mosab Sabzevari, a resident of Qeshlaq village, was shot early Wednesday morning by border guards.

He sustained severe injuries from direct gunfire and was rushed to Taleghani Hospital in Kermanshah for emergency treatment.

Kolbars are porters who carry goods on their backs across long distances along Iran’s borders, primarily in the impoverished, mountainous Kurdish areas adjacent to Iraq.

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

The causes of death include direct gunfire from military forces, blizzards, extreme cold, and falls from mountains and cliffs.