WAN - Soldiers detained 2 kolbars in Gever-Elbak countryside. "We do not know where they are, whether they are alive or not" says Serhat Serbaz Hatemi, a relative of the kolbars living in Iran.
The military operation launched on 12 January in the rural areas of Gever (Yüksekova) district of Colemêrg (Hakkari) and Elbak (Başkale) district of Wan continues. It is stated that the soldiers participating in the operation launched in the areas bordering Iran detained two kolbers (Border trader), Ferzat Hatemi and Feyyaz Ehmedi. It is reported that 2 kolbars crossed the border from Koran village of Urmia city of Iran and were detained afterwards.
Serhat Serbaz Hatemi, the older brother of kolber Ferzat Hatemi, said, "My brother Ferzat and my relative Feyyaz are engaged in border trade to make a living. They came to the region 3 days ago. We learnt that they were detained yesterday. We learnt that they were detained not from any state official but from shepherds in the region. The shepherds told us that they were detained by the soldiers who went on an operation between 2-3 pm yesterday and that they saw them being taken into a helicopter. We do not have any other information. We do not know where they are, whether they are alive or not." Hatemi stated that they are worried about the lives of their relatives.