Islamic Republic Military Shoots at Kolbars in Western Iran; One Kolbar Killed in Sardasht

As a result of gunfire from Islamic Republic military forces on Tuesday in the border region of Sardasht, one kolbar was killed and two others were wounded. Simultaneously, gunfire from the border regiment in Baneh injured another kolbar. The Kolbarnews website reported on Wednesday, July 26, that the shooting at kolbars in the Sardasht border area occurred on July 25, and the identity of the deceased kolbar has been announced as 19-year-old Kian Zini. In this attack, two kolbar brothers named Keyvan and Payman Ghaderi were also injured. Additionally, this local media reported that the Islamic Republic border forces in Baneh shot at 32-year-old Sirvan Rasouli with a 'shotgun,' injuring him. According to Kolbarnews, in just the past 10 days, at least two kolbars have been killed and 13 others, including one child, have been injured due to direct gunfire from Islamic Republic military forces in western Iran. According to this media, on July 17, Riwar Rashidi was injured due to gunfire from government forces at the Baneh border in Kurdistan province, and in the Nowsud border area in the Paveh county of Kermanshah province, Sina Naderi, who is said to be a 'child kolbar,' was also injured. Furthermore, on July 18, government forces shot at 'eight kolbars' in the Nowsud and Baneh border areas, resulting in the death of Ayoub Mohammadi and injuries to Masih Moradi, Ayoub Moradi, Mehdi Basharti, Mehran Abdi, Payman Veisi, Sami Zarei, and Navid Hasani. On July 24, in the 'Nodsheh' area in Paveh, Kermanshah province, a kolbar named Mohammad Dari was injured, and the next day, on July 25, gunfire from Islamic Republic military forces injured another kolbar named Ahmad Malayi 'in the abdomen.' According to a previous report from the Kurdpa website, in the first six months of 2024, 33 kolbars have been killed and 254 others have been injured in western Iran. Additionally, see: Kurdpa: 287 kolbars were killed and injured in the first six months of this year. Earlier, Human Rights Watch reported on July 18 that Iranian government agents are using 'excessive and lethal force' against 'mostly Kurdish' kolbars. According to this report, kolbars have 'limited access to justice or legal remedies for these [human rights] violations, and Iranian agents have mistreated arrested kolbars.' The Human Rights Watch report, referencing the long-standing history of the Islamic Republic in suppressing Kurdish regions in Iran, noted: 'High unemployment and poverty rates are among the factors driving people to engage in border carrying, or kolbari, either legally or illegally, which is physically exhausting and a dangerous occupation.'