Iraq: The Forbidden Frontier - ARTE

WATCH: Indonesia: The Cost of Illegal Mining https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk4QnMK2ZEI The border between Iran and Iraq is a deadly one. Every day, the kolbars, literally in Kurdish "those who carry on their backs", risk their lives by crossing this border. They are Iranians that go into Iraq to pick up goods in order to illegally take them back into Iran. Night and day, hundreds of them cross the mountains to get to the other side. When they do not die of cold, falls or mine explosions, they are targeted by border guards. In 2020 alone, 61 kolbars were killed, 181 others injured, mutilated or tortured. Their crime: illegally transporting televisions, hoovers, cigarettes or sometimes alcohol into Iran. A dangerous activity that is not really marginal: there are about a hundred thousand Kurds who practice it to survive in a country that deprives them of work. From an Iraqi village located a few kilometres from the border, the smugglers pick up their goods. The inhabitants of this remote mountain town make their living by smuggling, 80% of those working are directly or indirectly involved in contraband trade. Smuggling is for many the only means to escape unemployment and the misery in which Iran keeps them prisoner. 🗓 Available until the 28/04/2024 ARTE Documentary is here to tell you more about what’s going on in the world of culture and current affairs with powerful, refreshing and entertaining docs subtitled in English for our international fans. Discover a whole world on #ARTEdocumentary​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 💡 Want more from ARTE? Watch more of our programmes on ARTE.tv: ARTE in English 👉 https://www.arte.tv/en/​​​​​​​​​​ Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVog... #Iran #Iraq #ARTEdocumentary​​ #smuggling #illegal


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