A 16-year-old teenage Baluch Sukhtbar, a crew member of a fuel transport dhow, was killed by gunfire from Bandar Abbas maritime border forces.
According to Kolbarnews, on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, Bandar Abbas maritime border forces opened fire on a Sukhtbari dhow 20 kilometers off the Strait of Hormuz.
The teenager, identified as “Taha Malahi,” son of Masoud, a 16-year-old resident of Bandarkalahi in Minab County, was fatally shot.
Reports indicate that the shooting occurred under the command of Colonel Eslam Tohidi in international waters. Taha was struck by two bullets and died instantly.
Sukhtbari considered one of the unconventional and dangerous jobs that many Baloch people in Balochistan are forced to undertake due to the lack of suitable and sustainable employment opportunities. Accidents, vehicle rollovers, and direct shootings by military and security forces are some of the dangers that threaten the lives of Sukhtbars. According to reports from Baloch activists, in the first six months of 2024, at least 133 Baloch Sukhtbars lost their lives due to shootings by military forces, road accidents, and vehicle fires, while 80 others were injured in these incidents, including 9 children.
