Matlab Kheybari, a border trader from Baneh County, lost his life after being directly shot by border forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in one of the border regions of the county.
According to Kolbarnews, in the early hours of Thursday, June 11, 2026, border regiment forces stationed at the “Choman” border area of Baneh opened fire on Matlab Kheybari without prior warning and using live ammunition.
The Kurdish citizen was killed after being struck by a bullet to the head.
According to obtained information, the trader was not carrying any goods at the time of the shooting and was merely present in the border area. Following the incident, his body was transferred to Salahaddin Ayoubi Hospital in Baneh.
Matlab Kheybari was a resident of the village of Saleh in Baneh County, married, and the father of two children. Informed sources stated that, at the time of publication, government authorities had refused to hand over his body to the family.
According to statistics recorded by Kolbarnews, in the year 2025, a total of 57 Kolbars in the border regions and intercity routes of the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah were killed or injured due to factors such as direct shootings by the regime’s military forces, avalanches and hypothermia, landmine explosions, falls from mountains and heights, and other incidents. Of this number, 26 Kolbars, equivalent to (46%), were killed and 31 Kolbars, equivalent to (54%), were injured. Of the total 57 Kolbars who were killed or injured in 2025, a total of 44 cases, equivalent to (77%), resulted from direct shootings by the regime’s military forces. Of the total 57 Kolbars who were killed or injured in 2025, a total of 2 Kolbars, equivalent to (4%), were child kolbars under the age of 18, one of whom was killed as a result of direct gunfire by Iraqi border guards (Haras al-Hudud).Despite a 69 percent decrease in the total number of killed and injured kolbars in 2025 compared to 2024, the proportion of deaths relative to total casualties increased from 28 percent to 46 percent. This change indicates a significant increase in the share of deaths among total casualties and reflects the increasingly deadly nature of incidents in 2025.
