Iraq: Thousands of deminers face danger without safeguards

More than 5,000 Iraqis work in mine and unexploded ordnance clearance across Iraq, facing low wages and limited social and health protections despite carrying out one of the country’s most dangerous humanitarian missions, the Eco Iraq Observatory cautioned on Saturday. Read More …

Iraq prepares national landmine clearance plan as 8.5 million still live under threat

Iraq’s Ministry of Environment has prepared what it calls a comprehensive national strategic plan to address landmines and unexploded ordnance using modern technologies, as the country remains among the world’s most heavily contaminated, with nearly 35,000 Iraqis killed or injured Read More …

Iraq: 7 Counter-Terrorism personnel killed, injured in Nineveh

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service announced on Sunday the killing of three of its personnel and the injury of four others following the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) left behind by ISIS mercenaries in the Al-Hadar desert, southwest of Read More …

Iraq: Controlled blast rocks area near Baghdad Airport

Iraqi security forces carried out a controlled explosion of war remnants near Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday, a police source told Shafaq News. The materials included rockets, ammunition, and other unexploded ordnance previously recovered during search operations in several areas. Read More …

Iraq reports 30K casualties from unexploded ordnance since 2003

Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill and maim in Iraq, where thousands of victims over decades underscore one of the country’s most persistent post-war dangers. The threat has lingered for years despite international awareness campaigns and clearance efforts, with Read More …

Iraqi armed group, Yemen’s Houthis threaten to target US bases as Iran-Israel confrontation widens

Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah group on Saturday threatened to begin attacking US military bases after a strike in Jurf al-Nasr area of Iraq’s Babil province killed two people and injured three others, according to Iraqi authorities. In Yemen, the Houthi group Read More …

Belgium gives €1.35 million to UN mine clearance in Iraq and Syria

Belgium contributed €1.35 million last year to mine clearance work by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq and Syria, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday. Since 2019, Belgium has invested more than €13 million in mine Read More …

U.S. military completes transfer of 5,700 IS detainees from Syria to Iraq

The U.S. military has completed the transfer of thousands of Islamic State group detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial in the future, the U.S. Central Command said Friday. CENTCOM said that the transfer that Read More …

Iraq: ISIS strikes, suicide bombings, and arrests

Three suicide bombers detonated explosive belts as security forces attempted to arrest them in Al-Anbar province, preventing a potential attack. The blast wounded the head of the Executive Tasks Regiments of Iraq’s National Security Service. In Al-Latifiyah, south of Baghdad, Read More …

Iraq: Erbil Clears Nearly 801,000 Square Meters of Mine-Contaminated Land in 2025

Erbil Mine Affairs cleared nearly 801,000 square meters of land of landmines and explosive remnants of war over the past year, marking a significant step toward improving public safety and restoring land for civilian use, an official said on Monday. Read More …

Belgium supports Iraqi mine action sector

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) acknowledged Belgium’s ongoing financial assistance for the mission in Iraq. According to a statement released by the UNMAS, the contribution improves cooperative efforts with the Iraqi government and other partners to protect people Read More …

North Carolina: FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year’s Eve Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

Today, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that a Mint Hill, North Carolina man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack Read More …

Iraq: Over 20 old mortar shells discovered in Sulaimani village

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 Read More …

Iraq: Counter-Terrorism Service arrests five terrorists across three provinces

Iraq Counter-Terrorism Service-ICTS said on Sunday it had arrested five terrorists in operations carried out across three provinces. In a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), ICTS said the arrests were part of ongoing efforts to enhance national Read More …

Iraq: Floods unearth hidden mines, reviving a wartime threat from Kirkuk to the Iran border

Heavy rains and flash floods are bringing an old danger back to the surface across Iraq: landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) long buried under soil that many communities had come to treat as “safe.” From southern Kirkuk and the outskirts Read More …

Iraq: Authorities remove mines, unexploded ordnance in Sulaymaniyah

Mine Action Directorate teams responded Wednesday to reports of mines and unexploded ordnance in Darbandikhan and Bardaqaraman following public alerts of dangerous remnants in the areas. In Darbandikhan’s Sirwan subdistrict, several residents reported discovering a VS-50 type mine near the Read More …

Iraq: Authorities arrest senior ISIS bomb maker after 10-month hunt

A senior ISIS member specializing in bomb-making was arrested on Tuesday, Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) said, noting that the operation capped more than 10 months of surveillance and monitoring. Identified as a “high-risk operative,” INSS stated that the detainee’s Read More …

Iraq: Mine Clearance Progress Advances in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok Province

A resident of Duhok’s Mangeshk subdistrict has resumed farming on his land for the first time in 35 years, following the removal of mines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) that had made the area too dangerous to cultivate. Local residents say Read More …

Buried explosives still shape daily life for millions of Iraqis

The warning signs are easy to miss. A faded skull-and-crossbones nailed to a fence in southern Iraq. A rusted metal stake on the edge of a field in the Kurdistan Region. A strip of red tape fluttering beside an olive Read More …

Iraq: PMF member killed, two injured in blast at Baghdad explosives site

One member of the Popular Mobilization Forces was killed and two others were injured Tuesday in an accidental explosion during a technical operation in Baghdad’s Jurf al-Naddaf area, according to the force’s Explosives Disposal Directorate. The directorate said the blast Read More …