Iraq has cleared more than 4,000 square kilometers of land contaminated by mines since 2003, leaving about 2,738 square kilometers still requiring clearance, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday, while denying reports that it has contracted companies to carry out demining work.
Mustafa Hamid Majeed, director of the Awareness and Media Section at the ministry’s Mine Affairs Directorate, told the Iraqi News Agency that Iraq’s total mine-contaminated area since the directorate was established in 2003 measured about 6,793 square kilometers, with 2,738 square kilometers remaining.
Majeed said nearly half of the remaining contaminated land is located in Basra governorate.
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Source: +964 Media
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