UN: Explosive removal in Mosul costs $50 million

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Removing booby-traps and explosives planted by the Islamic State in Mosul could cost $50 million, a United Nations official said on Tuesday.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) previously said it would cost nearly $50 million to clear Iraq from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The organization claimed the cost would double particularly because of the Mosul military operation.

“Looking at the contamination in Mosul, we will need $50 million, and [an additional] $50 million for the rest of the country,” the chief of UNMAS’ planning and management section Paul Heslop told Reuters.

On Oct. 17, 2016, Iraqi and Peshmerga forces launched a military operation to retake Mosul and have so far liberated half of the city.

“Clearing IEDs and building clearances is a lot more dangerous than minefields. You need a higher level of technical skill and complex equipment, and it’s slower,” Heslop said.

“As areas are liberated, you get a better idea of the level of contamination,” he continued.

Since 2015, UNMAS has removed mines from 390 locations in Fallujah and Ramadi located in the Anbar province.

According to their data, over 2,600 booby-traps have been removed from the areas liberated from ISIS.

“I could see Iraq needing an Afghanistan-style [demining] operation, which at its peak was 15,000 people about five years ago,” Heslop said.

“You could put 5,000 on the ground in Iraq, and they would be gainfully employed,” he added.

Both Iraqi and Peshmerga forces have repeatedly warned that ISIS booby-traps are one of the obstacles preventing troops from advancing faster and retaking areas from the insurgent group.

Besides security forces, civilians continue to be the victims of IEDs planted in different locations.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany