Hikers to blame for arrest?

AHMED AWA, Iraq — The three Americans being detained by Iran appear to have been hiking on a difficult trail in a remote border area that is rarely visited by tourists and local residents.

Residents of Ahmed Awa, a resort village in Iraqi Kurdistan where the Americans were last seen, say it would take hours to hike up a steep, uninhabited mountain frequented by smugglers to reach the area where they are reported to have accidentally crossed over into Iran.

Local residents say the barren terrain isn’t the only impediment to hiking in the region. Landmines laid during the Iran-Iraq war remain a threat throughout the area, they say.

Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 30, and Joshua Fattal, 27, were arrested by Iranian border security for illegally crossing into Iranian territory on July 31. They had apparently traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan for a short vacation from Damascus, according to a statement by Shon Meckfessel, who had been traveling with the three before he fell ill and decided not to accompany them to Ahmed Awa.

After several days of silence and confusion, both the Iranian and American governments have confirmed that the three are in Iranian custody. Reports in Iran’s media speculated that they could be charged with spying.

Both the Kurdish regional government, headquartered in Erbil, and the Iraqi government have good relations with Tehran. Officials from both governments have indicated that they are trying to win the Americans’ release.

Those unfamiliar with the area might wonder why anyone would decide to spend their vacation hiking in a country that until recently was an area of major combat and where daily bombings are still routine.

But Kurds, Arabs and Westerners living in Iraq often flock to Ahmed Awa for its breathtaking mountain scenery, cool air and spectacular waterfall.

Difficult terrain

Most visitors to Ahmed Awa do not venture as far field are the captured hikers, however. The terrain is simply too difficult, local residents contend.

And it’s also easy to stumble into Iran, residents say.

“There was barbed wire there in the past (to mark the border between Iraq and Iran), but not anymore,” said Sabir, the Ahmed Awa resident. “It is easy to cross the borders and not know it. Iranian (border) forces used to make arrests, but now not a lot of people go there and if they do they are familiar enough with the area to avoid arrest.” Some in Ahmed Awa are suspicious that the Americans were more than just innocent travelers, in part because they ventured out alone and far from tourist areas.

X Khabat Nawzad is a reporter in Iraq who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune.