Landmine Blast Kills Civilian in Hama as War Remnants Continue to Claim Lives Across Syria
According to SOHR, since the beginning of 2025, at least 329 civilians, including 70 children and 17 women, have lost their lives.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A civilian was killed on Saturday in Syria’s Hama province after a landmine left behind by conflict exploded near the village of Tahmaz in the Okairabat district of the Salmiya countryside, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
The incident highlights the persistent danger of unexploded ordnance and war remnants across Syria’s war-torn regions, where civilians continue to pay the price long after active battles have subsided.
According to SOHR, since the beginning of 2025, at least 329 civilians, including 70 children and 17 women, have lost their lives due to explosions caused by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Another 316 individuals, including 135 children and three women, have sustained injuries.
The casualties are spread across various regions controlled by different factions:
- Areas under the Damascus government reported the highest toll, with 263 deaths, including 58 children and 13 women. Among the deceased were eight truffle pickers, a group often exposed to danger while foraging in rural areas. Additionally, 227 civilians were injured, including 85 children, with six of the injured being truffle pickers.
- In SDF-controlled regions, 15 civilians were killed, including seven children and one woman, while 31 others—25 of them children—were injured by war remnants.
- In territories held by “National Army” factions, 51 civilians have died, including five children and three women. The number of injured in these areas has reached 70, among them 25 children.
Despite relative reductions in front-line hostilities, landmines and other explosive devices left from over a decade of conflict continue to inflict a devastating toll, particularly on children and those working in agriculture or foraging.
Humanitarian groups, including SOHR, have called for urgent international action to support demining efforts and raise awareness about the risks faced by residents living in formerly contested or rural zones. Without large-scale clearance and education campaigns, the civilian toll is likely to climb further in the coming months.
