More than 5 million mines hinder the lives of civilians in the Kurdistan Region

More than 255 square kilometers of the Kurdistan Region’s territories are yet to be cleared of landmines, an official statement by the KRG’s Mine Action Agency said.

The statement marked the UN-designated International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on April 4, saying that the war remnants in the Kurdistan Region still pose a serious threat to thousands of civilians.

The Mine Action Agency revealed that more than 13,500 civilians were killed or injured by landmines, unexploded war ordinances, and other types of explosive devices left from the previous wars that ravaged the region for years.

It thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for its continued support to help clean every inch of its territories but emphasized that international support from foreign partners remains crucial to continue the operation.

The agency has also published ads in different formats to help raise public awareness on the matter. It also encouraged civilians to contact the agency via the hotline 182 to report any suspicious objects, especially in the border areas that are highly contaminated after the 8-year-long war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s.

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