Bashar Al-Assad’s regime collapse in December 2024 was meant to mark a turning point for Syria. As an alternative, an insidious threat is unfolding beneath the feet of its people.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance left scattered within the aftermath of the civil war have turn into a silent killer for Syrians – particularly for many who are returning to their homes after years in refuge abroad.
Previously week alone, not less than 39 adults and eight children were killed by landmines and other explosive debris, the landmine clearance charity The HALO Trust warned.
Mouiad Alnofaly, HALO operations manager in Syria, told Metro that the entire country is ‘contaminated’.
‘There are tons of of miles which are sown with hidden landmines and other unexploded ordnance,’ he said.
‘Explosives are present in residential areas, where children play, and within the grounds of hospitals and schools.
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‘It is usually the case that children will probably be killed or seriously maimed by a landmine they come across while collecting scraps on the market or while playing outside.’
This was the case of a 12-year-old boy whose leg was ripped apart by an explosive while he was fiddling with his grandfather last week.
His leg needed to be amputated – a everlasting scar of the war that he may have to live with for the remainder of his life.
Fortunately, his grandfather was not less than 10 metres away when the mine went off and was not seriously injured.
Syrians who’re returning to their country after Assad was toppled have ‘no idea’ which areas are hazardous and have fallen victims to mines.
Mouiad said Halo has been issuing safety messages in regards to the mines, but admitted that ‘nothing can stop people from coming back’.
He himself stepped foot in Syria for the primary time in 11 years on December 14, after looking for refuge in Jordan, and reunited along with his mother and father just days ago.
‘I used to be over the moon,’ Mouiad recalled in regards to the moment he crossed the Jaber land border crossing from Jordan into Syria.
‘I had not allowed myself to dream about it. It’s so difficult to elucidate. But I’m so glad to be home.’
The full variety of civilians killed or injured by landmines because the fall of Assad is now well over 400.
Figures shared by HALO are also more likely to be an underestimate since the deaths and injuries will probably be going down in distant areas which individuals haven’t yet reported from.
A register of verified accidents shared with Metro shows the size of the crisis across Syria.
On February 1, two people were killed when a landmine exploded in a automobile within the village of Abu Kubra, south of Mansoura, in town of Raqqa.
A young man was killed on the identical day within the village of Al-Fadasa within the eastern countryside of Hama, after a landmine exploded.
Two others from the identical family suffered various degrees of injuries in the identical explosion.
Halo, which operated in 28 countries, has a small team of 40 deminers in Syria.
Because the change of regime, they’ve received a tenfold rise within the variety of calls from civilians eager to get help to take care of landmines, bombs, and rockets from the 14-year civil war.
Mouiad stressed that to tackle this crisis his team would want not less than 400 deminers.
‘Otherwise, it will take us many years to clear Syria,’ he warned. ‘On daily basis, persons are killed by landmines. The whole country is contaminated.
‘We’re grateful to our donors, but we want the support of the international community, the identical way they’ve supported Ukraine because the start of the full-scale invasion.’
The complex nature of the civil war, with multiple armed factions involved, means HALO currently only operates within the northwest of Syria, where it has been working since 2017.
The team is planning an expansion within the region, where accidents are most prolific, but additionally to other Syrian governorates with high needs.
Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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