Border forces of the Islamic Republic in the western Kermanshah province have shot and seriously injured six kolbars amid an escalation of violence against the transborder porters.
According to a report by the Kurdpa news agency, six kolbars were injured on March 26 in a shooting incident at the Nowsud border crossing.
The identities of four of the injured kolbars have been confirmed as Ehsan Nazari, Mohammad Mahmoudi, Mohammad Yousefi, and Yasin (last name unknown).
One of the kolbars is in critical condition, the report said.
The kolbars are porters who haul goods on their backs over long distances across the borders of Iran, mainly in the impoverished, mountainous Kurdish areas adjacent to 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.
The causes of their death included direct fire by military forces, blizzards, cold weather, and falls from mountains and heights.
Source » iranwire