Around two million square meters of land littered with mines and unexploded ordnance have been cleared across the Kurdistan Region over the past seven months, a local official said on Monday, adding landmines have claimed the lives of ten people during the same time period.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to grapple with the legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by decades of conflict, including the Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 US-led invasion, and the Islamic State’s (ISIS) brutal reign over large parts of the country’s north and west between 2014 and 2017.
Read more…
Source: Rudaw News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Iraq: Bombing targets Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq office in Najaf
February 21, 2024
An official security source reported on Sunday morning that an office affiliated with Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, a Shiite armed group, was targeted by a homemade bomb in Najaf governorate, the capital of Shia Islam in Iraq and the world. The improvised explosive device detonated in the Al-Salam neighborhood in downtown Najaf, resulting in significant material damage ...
- U.S. Central Command Forces Conduct Strike Killing Kata’ib Hezbollah Senior Leader
February 7, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. – At 9:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) February 7, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region. There are no indications of collateral damage ...
- U.S. Central Command Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and Syria
February 2, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. – At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more ...
- Kataib Hezbollah announces halt of attacks on US forces
January 31, 2024
Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah has announced the suspension of hostile operations against US troops as Washington ponders its response to a deadly drone attack that killed three of its soldiers. The group’s attempt to de-escalate late on Tuesday, which it said was motivated by a desire not to “embarrass” the Iraqi government, was met with some scepticism ...
- The drone wars of Iran’s militias are becoming more deadly
January 29, 2024
Iran has been increasingly exporting drones to its proxies throughout the Middle East over the last decade. The drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) increasingly play a role in Iran’s policies and the attacks by Iran’s proxies. Several years ago the drone threat may not have been seen as a major issue. Today it is taken seriously ...
- Northern Iraq: Khor Mor gas field attacked
January 25, 2024
Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province was attacked late on Thursday, a local official told Rudaw. No casualties have been reported. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants of Khor Mor, is a key gas field operated by the UAE-based Dana Gas in Chamchamal town, Sulaimani province. It remains unclear whether the attack was carried out with ...
- U.S. Forces Strike Kataib Hezbollah Capabilities in Iraq
January 23, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. – In response to attacks by the Iranian-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah (KH), including the attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq on Jan. 20, on Jan. 24 at 12:15 a.m., U.S. CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq. These ...
- US personnel injured as missiles target forces at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase
January 20, 2024
US personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of Iraq’s security forces was seriously wounded in an attack on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base on Saturday, a US official said, citing initial assessments, which are subject to change. At least a dozen missiles were fired at a military base used by US-led coalition forces in western ...
- Denmark assists Iraq in clearing landmines
December 31, 2023
The Danish government has contributed an additional $3.17 million to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq. The new contribution will help the Iraqi government protect civilians from the threat of explosive ordnance and support humanitarian, socioeconomic, and reconstruction efforts, according to a statement released by the UNMAS. The Danish government has given the ...
- Iraq: Missing Kuwaiti and Saudi hunters killed by a leftover Islamic State group explosive in Anbar
December 27, 2023
The bodies of a Kuwaiti citizen and a Saudi with Kuwaiti residency who had disappeared in Iraq were found Tuesday, Kuwait’s minister of foreign affairs said in a statement. Iraqi security officials said the men, who had reportedly come to Iraq on a hunting trip, were killed by an explosive left behind by the Islamic State ...
- U.S. launches retaliatory strikes after drone attack on Iraq military base wounds 3 U.S. service members
December 26, 2023
A drone attack by an Iran-affiliated terrorist group on a military base in Iraq early Monday morning left three U.S. service members wounded, the Pentagon said, and prompted President Biden to order retaliatory strikes. The attack on the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq was conducted by Kataib Hezbollah militants, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in ...
- Iraq: Kurdish demining agency destroys 550+ mines in Penjwen
December 5, 2023
The Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) announced on Tuesday that they had destroyed more than 564 mines in the Penjwen district of Sulaimani province. Jabar Mustafa Rasul, the director of the agency, revealed in a press conference that Penjwen district in the Kurdistan Region is considered to be one of the most contaminated areas with ...
- Iraq: Rocket launcher disguised as fuel truck seen firing 122mm artillery rockets
December 5, 2023
Earlier this week, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq fired 122mm artillery rockets at U.S.-led coalition forces in neighboring Syria using an improvised array of launchers disguised inside a modified tanker truck. “At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 3, 15 122mm rockets originating in Iraq were fired at the U.S. base Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria,” according to ...
- Belgium helps UNMAS continue supporting operations in Iraq
November 27, 2023
The Belgian government once again contributed about $802,000 to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq in support of essential mine action operations. Delivering effective and sustainable explosive hazard management assistance as well as offering technical and advisory support to the national mine response authorities are among the activities that will take place, according ...
- US intercepts explosive-laden drones launched from Yemen
November 23, 2023
The Pentagon announced this morning that a US destroyer intercepted several explosive-laden drones launched from Yemen from areas controlled by the Houthis. The US Central Military Command, Centcom, said in a post on X: “On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from ...