Kurdish kolbar killing sparks outrage among local community

HALABJA — The recent killing of a Kurdish kolbar by Iraqi border guards at the Iraq-Iran border has sparked widespread anger in Halabja, with local clergy and officials voicing strong condemnation.

Aram Khalil, 27, was fatally shot while attempting to cross the border illegally near the villages of Haneidan and Sargat. He was transported to Khurmal Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Mullah Malek Hawrami, a prominent cleric in the Hawraman area, conveyed the community’s outrage during an interview with 964media. “People were enraged and on the verge of setting the border post on fire. If we had not intervened, more people could have been killed,” Hawrami stated. He called for justice, emphasizing, “We hope the perpetrators are brought to justice and face appropriate punishment.”

Kolbars are individuals, often from Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, who carry goods across borders to earn a living, navigating mountainous terrains with items like food and electronics. Khalil, an orphan, supported his two younger sisters and a brother through his work as a kolbar.

“This is the third time in two years that such an event has occurred in our area. We hope this will be the last,” Hawrami warned, indicating that repeated incidents could provoke more severe reactions from the community.

He also highlighted the emotional impact on Khalil’s family. “His two sisters were eagerly waiting for their brother’s return that evening as usual, but instead, they received his body,” he said, expressing deep sorrow for the loss.

Alan Hama Saeed Salih, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Minister of Culture and a native of the Hawraman area, publicly condemned the killing, stating on his official Facebook page, “Such an injustice must not go unpunished.

“The role of border guards is to protect the people, not to kill them.” He extended condolences to the victim’s family.

The first half of 2024 has seen a notable increase in kolbar casualties, with hundreds of deaths or injuries reported, underscoring the perilous conditions faced by those in this line of work.