Shepherd in Erbil province diffuses thousands of landmines

He has now fallen victim to an explosive landline, losing both hands and one eye.

Kurdistan 24 2023/04/08 17:09

Ahmed, a shepherd from the Khoshnawti area, who diffused thousands of landmines for the past 30 years. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Landmines Kurdistan Region demining

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ahmed, a shepherd from the Khoshnawti area, located north of Erbil, has diffused thousands of landmines for the past 30 years.

He has now fallen victim to an explosive landline, losing both hands and one eye. “I have almost diffused 50,000 to 80,000 mines so far and lost one eye in a landmine explosion,” Ahmed said.

Landmines have been planted in the Kurdistan Region since the 1960s. “In fact, nearly 800 square kilometers in the Kurdistan Region have landmines,” an official from the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency told Kurdistan 24.

“Since 1991, more than 500 square kilometers have been cleared, but nearly 260 square kilometers remain uncleared,” the official confirmed.

Furthermore, since 1991, more than 13,500 people have been injured or killed by landmines in the Kurdistan Region.