Mines besiege neighborhoods in Mosul, and funding for their removal has decreased by 80%

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[size=52]Mines besiege neighborhoods in Mosul, and funding for their removal has decreased by 80%[/size]

[size=45]Translated by: Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]A British report stated that many neighborhoods of Mosul are besieged by mines, stressing that funding to tackle this file has decreased by 80%, while presenting sad stories about victims of war remnants who need special care.[/size]
[size=45]A report by the British newspaper The Times, translated by Al-Mada, stated that “Mosul, five years after its liberation from the terrorist organization ISIS, many of its neighborhoods have not returned to their nature until the present time.”[/size]
[size=45]The report added, "The effects of the war, including mines and explosive materials left by the organization, still cast a shadow over the city, thus forming continuous obstacles for its residents and those returning to it."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "life has almost returned to normal in a section of Mosul, where homes, shops and government offices have been rebuilt."[/size]
[size=45]And the report indicated that “those areas have flourished in markets and commercial activity, as life comes alive in them since the early morning hours, sellers display their goods, and cafes are filled with customers, but despite that, important areas in them still have not recovered from their wounds yet.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "Large areas on the western bank of the Tigris River are still under silent siege, restricted by the presence of explosive remnants of war and mines."[/size]
[size=45]The report spoke of “dirt paths that were cut through hills of rubble and marked with safety signs to avoid mines.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The demining teams arrive at sunrise to start another grueling day of shoveling rubble using small bulldozers."[/size]
[size=45]The report noted that “the effects of the war did not leave,” adding that “Akram Shaker Salim, a 40-year-old man, has wounds, bruises and scars spread all over his body after he was severely wounded by an explosive device during the recent battles in August 2017.”[/size]
[size=45]And he stated, “Salim, and after five years have passed, every day that passes is a struggle with his health.”[/size]
[size=45]And the report goes on to say, “An explosive device attached to Salim’s car exploded as soon as he opened the car door, causing him great harm.” Recalling the accident, Salim says: “I flew into the air and my guts came out of my stomach. I did not know that my brother had died as a result of the explosion.”[/size]
[size=45]The report notes that “Salim, after undergoing major surgeries, cannot use his right arm, cannot work to provide for his three daughters, nor save money to pay for housing rent. He currently lives with his parents and receives assistance from non-governmental organizations or from the government.”[/size]
[size=45]Selim asserts, “The wounds and tumors in my body made me look eighty years old, while I am forty. I cannot wear the clothes that young people wear, I have lost all my youth.”[/size]
[size=45]The report stated that "the militants of the terrorist organization ISIS resorted to planting explosive devices inside houses and buildings and hiding them under household items or inside dolls."[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “One of the victims of these deadly deceptions was the young man, Amer Muhammad, who left the house with his family during the battles and returned home more than a year later, and he was thirteen years old at the time.” The report added, “Muhammad, while helping his family clean the house from the rubble, and while he was lifting something that he thought was a toy, it exploded on him and he lost one of his eyes, as an explosive device was hidden inside the toy. He can no longer go to school, and he works in a small shop that sells things.” household and cigarettes.” And he stressed, "Stories like what Salim and the young man Amer went through are examples, among other incidents that are repeated in Mosul." The report quotes the International Campaign to Ban Landmines as saying that Iraq is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world.[/size]
[size=45]According to the organization, “more than 3,225 square kilometers of land in Iraq are contaminated with mines, putting the lives of 8.5 million people at risk.”[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that “the farmer, Muhammad Hassan, 50 years old, is facing, like the rest of his peers, great difficulties in cultivating wheat and grazing his sheep in the mine-contaminated area near Tal Afar.”[/size]
[size=45]And he quotes Muhammad as saying: “We want our sheep to graze themselves in the fields, but we do not do that. The situation has also affected our agriculture here in the village, and we are also unable to harvest because of our fear of war remnants.”[/size]
[size=45]And the report added, “Majbil Muhammad, a shepherd who lost both of his legs while he was grazing his sheep, says: The moment I was in the hospital, I felt that my life had stopped, everything was lost with me losing both of my legs.”[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “A humanitarian organization has given Muhammad artificial limbs that enable him to move in and around the house.”[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that “humanitarian organizations continue to provide their services in Mosul, despite the decline in funding that non-governmental organizations suffer from.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The report issued by Landmine Monitor for the year 2022 warned that the demining sector had received the lowest funding rate since 2016, indicating that the total funding program for assistance in Iraq is scheduled to shrink by 80% between 2019 and 2024."[/size]
[size=45]While the report saw that “financing foreign aid has become difficult with some of the donor countries going through financial hardship and local pressures,” it went on to say that “external problems have become out of focus.”[/size]
[size=45]And the report went on, that "returning home and leading a normal life for Salim, the young Amer and Muhammad, constitutes a real challenge for them in the absence of someone who cares for them."[/size]
[size=45]About: British newspaper (The Times).[/size]
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