ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A landmine blast on Monday killed a 35-year-old tradesman in the mountainous areas of the Soran independent administration, a local witness said.
“We were distant from where he was. When we heard the sound of the blast, we saw a lot of smoke rising. After nearly ten minutes, I reached where he was, but it was of no use. From his torso to his foot, none of it had remained,” Gailan Jamal, a local who saw the incident, told Rudaw.
Nazim Salihi, the victim, was married and had two children. Poverty had forced him to turn to the Qalarash mountain to obtain spring herbs, according to Jamal.
But thousands of landmines are located in the area.
His family said that years ago, Salihi’s father had also lost his life to a landmine blast.
The Kurdistan Region is known for its tall mountains. However, landmines dating back to the Iran-Iraq War and the ongoing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) along the border have killed many. Some of the minefields are only a few hundred metres away from nearby villages.
“Despite many announcements to raise awareness through our teams… advising and instructing people, especially in this season, to stay away from dangerous areas riddles with mines … this is the second person in Soran independent administration this year to get killed in mine blasts,” said Rabar Anwar, head of media of the Kurdistan Region’s Mine Action Agency (IKMAA).
In August, Mustafa Hameed, head of media at the Iraqi Directorate for Mine Action (DMA), told Rudaw that mine removal teams in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have cleared 4,540 of the 6,600 square kilometers of areas with landmines since 2003 in joint efforts between Baghdad and Erbil.
The Iraqi DMA and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) IKMAA have been working together since they signed a memorandum of understanding last year, outlining their cooperation and mutual technical support until 2028.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region suffer from the widespread presence of landmines, a legacy of the Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 US-led invasion, and the Islamic State’s (ISIS) brutal reign across the north and west from 2014 to 2017. Vast areas of the country still need to be cleared for the safety of its people.
Andam Jabar contributed to this report.
