ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi border guards on Thursday reportedly shot at a father and son in the Sharbazher area of Sulaimani province, near the Iranian border, killing the son and wounding the father, a family member said.
Awat Ismail and his son Arez were shot at by Iraqi border guards at approximately 5:30 am on Thursday, Awat’s cousin, Mahmoud Maruf, told Rudaw.
“The father and son had an official shipment that they wanted to take to Iran. The shipment was properly processed through customs, but they were shot at in Suraban village in the Sharbazher border area,” approximately 68 kilometers from Sulaimani city center, Maruf explained.
“As a result, the son was killed and the father was injured,” he said.
The border guard who shot at the family has been detained by security forces, according to Maruf.
The father is being treated for his injuries at a Sulaimani hospital.
The border guards have yet to confirm the incident.
The Iraq-Iran border has been increasingly fortified in recent years, after Baghdad agreed to disarm Kurdish groups opposed to Iran based in the Kurdistan Region and secure the border regions in a pact signed with Iran in March 2023. Iran had threatened to resort to military action should Iraq fail to fulfill the agreement.
Iraq has also installed a 200-kilometer-long security barrier along the border with Iran, equipped with over 150 thermal cameras, in an attempt to thwart smuggling operations and crack down on illegal crossings.
On the Iranian side, border guards frequently shoot at Kurdish kolbars attempting to cross the border. Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the border and are frequently targeted by Iranian security forces.
Many kolbars are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment. The Iranian government accuses kolbars of bringing weapons into the country and being used by its enemies.
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