On the morning of Thursday, May 8, 2025, Iraqi border guard forces opened fire on two Kurdish merchants along the Sharbazher border region in Sulaimaniyah province, resulting in the death of a 17-year-old boy and the injury of his father.
According to Kolbarnews, the incident occurred around 5:30 AM in the border village of Soreban. The victims have been identified as Awat Ismail (father) and Arez Awat Ismail (17-year-old son), both residents of the village of Kani Gwezan. The teenage boy was killed instantly by gunfire, while his father was injured and transferred to a hospital in the city of Sulaimaniyah for treatment.
A family member stated that the two merchants were transporting a legally authorized load to Iran. According to the relative, the goods had passed through official customs channels and their transfer was not illegal. Nevertheless, the Iraqi border guards opened fire without prior warning.
Reports indicate that Iraqi security forces immediately detained the personnel involved in the shooting and handed them over to the police. The Sulaimaniyah police have launched a formal investigation into the incident.
As of the time of reporting, no official statement has been issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government or the Iraqi Border Guard Command. The victims’ family has demanded full transparency, punishment of those responsible, and preventive measures against future acts of violence.
The incident comes amid rising concerns over increasing violence against traders in the Kurdistan Region’s border areas.
According to statistics recorded by Kolbarnews, in the year 1403, a total of 183 Kolbars were killed or injured in the border areas and inter-road routes of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah provinces due to factors such as direct shooting by regime military forces, avalanches and hypothermia, landmine explosions, falls from mountains and heights, and other incidents.Out of this total, 52 Kolbars (28%) were killed, and 131 Kolbars (72%) were injured. Among the 183 Kolbars who were killed or injured in 1403, 143 cases (78%) resulted from direct shootings by regime military forces.Additionally, among the 183 kulbars affected, 11 (6%) were child Kolbars under the age of 18. One of these cases resulted in the death of a child Kolbar due to hypothermia.
