ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An old cache of mortar shells and mines dating back to the Iran-Iraq war has been discovered in the village of Kokoyi, Darbandikhan district of Sulaimani province. Authorities said the mine action directorate has been notified to arrange for the safe removal of the explosives.
The shells were unearthed during construction work on a house in Kokoyi, where workers found more than twenty 120mm mortar shells. Officials warned that several more shells and other explosive remnants may still be buried underground.
"We came here yesterday. This man, a relative of ours, was busy with [building] this house and said there was an artillery shell here. We then checked it to see if it was indeed an artillery shell and moved it away to prevent a child from touching it and causing an accident. We went through [the area] and found three to four others. The number kept increasing. We decided to inform the Asayish [security] and agreed [to ourselves] not to handle things on our own,” Khalil Osman, the resident who uncovered the shells, told Rudaw on Thursday:
This is not the first time explosives have been found in the village.
"The big Iraq-Iran war happened on this mountain on which there was a lot of bloodshed. Most of the areas were a stronghold [for the Iraqi army], and a large number of weapons belonging to the Baath regime are left behind here,” Salam Ahmed, a local resident, said
Following the discovery, Suleiman Mohammed, mayor of Darbandikhan, contacted the mine action directorate to send teams to clear the site.
He told Rudaw that the area "consistently yields explosives," noting that "extensive work has been done [to clear it], but unfortunately, due to the difficult terrain in some spots, more remnants of these explosives have still remained here."
Kokoyi village, situated on the Iraq-Iran border, served as a major battlefield for both armies during the conflict, leaving behind a dangerous legacy of unexploded ordnance.
Last year, at least 12 people were killed and 16 others injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Region’s Mine Action Agency (IKMAA).
Head of the IKMAA, Jabar Mustafa, told Rudaw last month that a total of 28 people have fallen victim to landmines and unexploded ordnance in 2025, marking a sharp rise compared to the previous year.
According to figures released by the IKMAA, Sulaimani province recorded the highest number of casualties, with 16 victims - 12 injured and four killed. Erbil province followed with 10 casualties, including six deaths and four injuries. One death was also reported in Duhok province, while another was recorded in Sulaimani's Garmiyan administration.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance remain a persistent threat in parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, decades after they were planted during the Iraq–Iran war.
Data from the Directorate of Mine Action at the Iraqi Ministry of Environment show that more than 4,500 square kilometers of land across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have been cleared of mines since 2003.
However, large areas remain unsafe. Around 2,300 square kilometers of land in Iraq are still contaminated with mines, approximately 200 square kilometers of which lie within the Kurdistan Region, continuing to pose serious risks to civilians.
Hunar Hamid contributed to this report from Darbandikhan.
