ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two kolbars were shot and injured near the city of Baneh in western Iran (Rojhelat), a human rights monitor reported on Saturday, with one of them being in critical condition.
Hemn Khosrawi and Rezgar Moludzadeh were injured while transporting their goods across the Iranian border, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported, saying the incident had taken place on Thursday.
Khosrawi, originally from the Kurdish city of Mariwan, had already lost his arm in a previous incident. He was reportedly shot twice and is currently in critical condition in hospital, the rights monitor added.
Kolbars are a small cog in a sophisticated and hugely profitable machine. Clothing, alcohol, cigarettes, mobile phones - they all arrive in the Kurdistan Region from Dubai, Turkey, or Iraq’s southern borders, where they are then transferred to depots close to the Iranian border.
At night, hundreds of mules transport the goods to a collection point, where wholesalers set up guarded tents to hand tens of kilos of goods over to incoming kolbars each morning.
Prominent businessmen across the Middle East, particularly in Iran and the Kurdistan Region, make profitable amounts of money in the process. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), whose own guards survey the area, is believed to be involved in the trade and uses the smuggling routes.
Due to limited job opportunities in many border areas of Iran, people are frequently left with no option but to take on such dangerous journeys to make a living. The job is a dangerous one as the frequently face violence from border guards as well as threats on the road such as explosive landmines and tough weather conditions in the winter.
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