Landmine Explosion Claims Young Kurdish Man’s life in Afrin

The landmine was one of many dangerous remnants of war left behind after Turkish military operations in Afrin began in 2018.

Mohammad Omar Barakat, a young Kurdish man, who lost his life in a landmine explosion in Afrin, Northern Syria (Rojava), Jan. 18, 2025. (Photo: Handout to Kurdistan24)
Mohammad Omar Barakat, a young Kurdish man, who lost his life in a landmine explosion in Afrin, Northern Syria (Rojava), Jan. 18, 2025. (Photo: Handout to Kurdistan24)

Jan. 18, 2025

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — A young Kurdish man lost his life in a landmine explosion in Afrin, Northern Syria (Rojava), on Saturday, local sources told Kurdistan 24.

“The explosion took place as the young Kurdish man Mohammad Omar Barakat returned home in Dughanka village, Shirawa area in Afrin and attempted to open his home’s main door, triggering a landmine planted inside the house,” local sources in Afrin told Kurdistan24. 

The landmine was one of many dangerous remnants of war left behind after Turkish military operations in Afrin began in 2018. These remnants, including landmines and unexploded ordnance, continue to pose a serious threat to civilians in the region, affecting homes, agricultural lands, and villages.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that eight civilians have been killed by landmine explosions with an additional 13 injured, including 10 children since the beginning of 2025. 

The latest incident in Dughanka village coincides with the gradual return of displaced Kurdish families to Afrin. Recently, 50 families returned to the village of Kurzêlê, also located in the Shirawa area of Afrin. 

Read more: 50 IDPs return to Afrin despite ongoing challenges

According to SOHR, 212 civilians lost their lives in 2024 due to explosive remnants of war, including 28 women and 63 children.

The remnants of the Syrian conflict, which began in March 2011, have turned many parts of the country into hazardous areas, preventing displaced families from safely returning to their homes.