Tens of thousands of victims.. Will Iraq be able to remove mines before the end of 2028?
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Baghdad Today - Baghdad
Iraq is considered one of the countries most contaminated with mines and war remnants, according to United Nations estimates and international and local reports, as a result of the wars that this country has fought over the past decades.
Mustafa Hamid, Director of the Media and Awareness Department at the Iraqi Mine Action Directorate, said in a press statement that: “Basra Governorate is at the top of the governorates most contaminated with mines and war remnants in Iraq, as the area of contaminated land exceeds 1,200 square kilometers, followed by Diyala, Maysan, Wasit and Muthanna governorates. Nineveh, Salah al-Din and Kirkuk governorates are also considered areas contaminated with war remnants and explosive devices left behind by the terrorist ISIS after invading these cities.”
"Lack of resources complicates mine clearance efforts"
Hamid explained that "pollution in Iraq is divided into four types: anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, war remnants, and explosive devices planted by the terrorist ISIS in the liberated areas."
He pointed out that "work in the field of mine clearance in Iraq is being done at the governmental level through the Ministries of Defense and Interior and at the organizational level, relying on the support of donor countries, the most prominent of which is the US Department of State."
Hamid pointed out that "the work of international organizations has declined in Iraq during the past two years due to the lack of government support, while the efforts of donor countries have been directed to conflict areas in Ukraine," noting that "the government has allocated $40 million in the general budget for mine clearance operations, half of which is for clearing cluster munitions and the other half for removing landmines and war remnants." He added that according to international agreements, the time frame for ending the mine file in Iraq is the end of 2028 if financial and human capabilities and general stability are available in the country.
Thousands of victims
The Mine Action Department estimates the number of victims in Iraq since 2003 at more than 30,000, between dead and disabled. Muwaffaq Al-Khafaji, a mine victim, says that a mine exploded in Basra Governorate, causing the amputation of his leg. He describes the conditions of mine victims as painful, saying: “There is no financial compensation and no serious government interest in the health requirements of mine victims.”
The number of mine victims in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is 13,521 people, including a number of mine clearance experts.
Abdul Ghaffar Mustafa, one of the workers in this field, said that he lost his leg after a mine exploded while he was trying to defuse it in a village in the Choman district of Erbil Governorate more than ten years ago.
He added that the risks of mines are great for farmers and shepherds in these areas, and many of them do not pay attention to the instructions and warning signs placed by those concerned with mine affairs, so the victims are in the dozens annually.
Mustafa stressed that the amount of health services provided to mine victims is insufficient, and many of them are forced to buy imported prosthetic limbs at high prices because locally made ones are uncomfortable, hurt the leg, and are easily damaged and broken.
The Director of Technical Affairs at the Mine Action Foundation, Ali Muhammad Amin, explained that “the area of contaminated land in the region is about 776 square kilometers, with about 3,500 minefields spread across cities and towns along the Iraqi-Iranian border, which were planted during the war between the two countries in the 1980s.”
He added, "The mine clearance operations have been ongoing for three decades, resulting in the clearing of about 524 square kilometers and hundreds of other kilometers contaminated with explosive devices planted by the terrorist ISIS on the outskirts of the provinces of Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah and Mosul," noting that "the Mine Action Foundation has gained extensive experience in this field, enabling it to train and prepare new cadres."
Amin noted that "the lack of funding, equipment shortages, and the lack of use of modern technology are delaying mine clearance efforts, and thus Iraq is not fulfilling its obligations under the Ottawa Convention, which set 2028 as the date for ending the mine file in the country."
For his part, Imam Hassan, Director of Awareness at the British Mine Action Organization, confirmed that “the efforts of international mine action organizations will continue to achieve a mine-free Iraq by 2028, despite the decline in the amount of funding from donor countries and the shortage of the government budget.”
Hassan pointed out a number of challenges facing the work of organizations, most notably the complex government procedures that hinder the movement of organizations and coordination between them in order to present joint projects that facilitate the process of obtaining international funding.
The spokesman pointed out the danger of working in areas contaminated with explosive devices created by the terrorist organization ISIS, which used unknown and locally manufactured explosive materials that can only be defused by specialists. He added that the Iraqi cadres working in the field of mine clearance have gained new expertise over the past years and constitute about 99% of the organization’s cadres.
Despite local and international efforts, the problem of mines still exists in Iraq, posing a continuous threat to civilians and hindering reconstruction operations in border areas and agricultural lands.
The Mine Action Service stresses that the lack of minefield maps and a real database and the changing locations of mines over the years due to erosion and flooding exacerbate the difficulty of identifying, marking, and then removing and neutralizing mines.
Source: Alhurra website
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