| That’s the risk smugglers take from time to time. |
A group of kolbars from Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet
militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word
Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both. They hate
was walking through the valley towards Byara village in Halabja province, near the border. At around 2:30 am, Iraqi border guards opened fire on the group, shooting one man in the buttocks.
"He bled a lot. We took pity on him, because we thought that if he was taken back to Iran, across the border, there was a chance that he could die," a well-informed source told Rudaw English.
Another police source in Halabja also confirmed the incident, saying: "I know that someone from Rojhelat was maimed today, but I don't have any more details." Rojhelat is what Kurds call Kurdish areas of Iran.
The man, in his early 20s, was given first aid treatment in Byara and then sent to Shar Hospital in Sulaimani.
Rudaw English contacted the commander of Sulaimani's border guards, but they did not immediately respond.
Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border. Many are pushed into the profession because of poverty in the Kurdish areas of Iran.
The job is a dangerous one. They carry heavy loads on their backs, over treacherous mountain paths during all weather and are frequently shot at by Iranian border guards. At least 40 were killed by Iranian border guards in 2020, according to
They are now facing a new risk on the Kurdistan Region side of the border, where officials are cracking down on smuggling. In January, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani ordered the Interior and Peshmerga ministries to form a joint force to prevent smuggling at official and unofficial border points.