Halabja police: four border guards accused in killing of kolbar now in custody

HALABJA — All four members of the Iraqi Border Guard Force accused in the killing of 26-year-old kolbar Aram Khalil at the Sipa border point have now been arrested, Halabja police said, completing a series of detentions in a case that fueled anger in Khurmal and nearby villages last summer.

A kolbar is a laborer who carries goods such as food, clothing, or electronics across mountainous border areas between Iraq and Iran, often under hazardous conditions.

Akam Qutbuddin, spokesperson for Halabja police, told 964media, “In the incident, four border guards were named as suspects. Three of them have now been arrested and are in detention. A security source told us the fourth suspect has also been arrested, but he has not yet been handed over to us.”

He said, “One of the suspects was detained nearly five months ago, two were recently detained, and we were told the fourth is also in custody. This means all suspects in the case, which was recorded at the Khurmal station, have been arrested.”

Khalil, from Khurmal district, was shot on Aug. 18, 2024, at the Sipa border point near the villages of Sargat and Dara Mar while carrying goods as a kolbar. He later died from severe wounds. The killing sparked unrest in the area and prompted an attempt by some residents to burn the border-guard building before community elders intervened.

Local clergy and officials condemned the shooting at the time. Mullah Malek Hawrami told 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,” calling for accountability and urging that “the perpetrators are brought to justice and face appropriate punishment.”

Khalil, who supported his younger siblings through kolbar work, became the third such casualty in the area in two years, deepening concerns about recurring incidents along the border.