Iranian security shoot, kill two teenagers across border in Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iranian security forces on Saturday shot and killed two teenage Iranian Kurds in a Kurdistan Region border town, according to local police.

The bodies of Bilal Tahami, 18, and Ayoub Pallani, 19, were found in a resort area in Halabja province’s Byara district, which borders Iran, the spokesperson for the province, Barzan Othman, was quoted as saying by Kurdpa media outlet.

According to a police investigation following the incident, Iran’s border guards directly shot and killed the two Kurdish teens, Othman added.

Kurdpa claimed the youths had crossed over to the Kurdistan Region to seek better employment opportunities.

Iran’s border guards regularly shoot individuals who cross over from or into the Region. The primary victims of these attacks are couriers who smuggle small amounts of goods, including tea, tobacco, and tires, as an occupation.

These couriers risk criminal charges, their safety, and their lives by making the perilous treks on a regular basis. They routinely spend days climbing near-impassable paths while carrying back-breaking amounts of goods.

In 2018, Iran’s already strained economy declined even further as the US pulled out from a landmark nuclear deal – which had freed the Gulf Country’s economic activities in the region – and the subsequent reinstitution of sanctions.

Another set of sanctions are expected to come into effect in November, targeting the country’s oil and financial sector.

Along with the sanctions, provinces that have higher rates of unemployment, according to official numbers, are mostly occupied by the countries’ minorities – among them the Kurds. The population in these regions have limited sources of income available to them.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany