Human Rights Center Warns of Lasting Environmental Damage From Wars in Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Landmines, unexploded munitions and toxic substances left by armed conflicts continue to threaten Iraq's environment and restrict the use of land, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq warned on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, calling for stronger clearance operations, environmental monitoring and legal safeguards.

In a report marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, observed annually on Nov. 6, the center said the consequences of fighting can endure long after military operations have ended.

It described environmental protection during war as a legal and humanitarian responsibility, with implications for both present communities and future generations.

The report identified contamination of soil, water and air, destruction of forests and agricultural land, and the continued presence of explosive remnants as major concerns.

Explosive Remnants Restrict Land Use

Citing January 2026 figures from the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the center said approximately 2,583 square kilometers of Iraqi territory remained contaminated by explosive remnants of war and munitions.

The affected land represents more than an immediate safety hazard. According to the center, contamination limits access to farmland and residential areas, complicates reconstruction and creates additional obstacles for displaced residents hoping to return home.

The report did not provide a province-by-province breakdown of the contaminated territory or specify how much had been cleared since January. Its figures therefore describe the scale of the problem at that point rather than the outcome of subsequent removal efforts.

The center also cited estimates from the World Bank's 2017 Iraq Damage and Needs Assessment. It placed damage to environmental resources at approximately 85 billion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to around $73 million at the valuation used in the assessment.

It separately referred to conflict-related sectoral damage of approximately 3.5 trillion dinars and a potential loss of up to 47% of Iraq's natural forests.

Those figures concern different categories of damage and should not be treated as a single environmental cost or as measurements of conditions in 2026.

International Law and Long-Term Risks

The center pointed to the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits methods and means of warfare intended, or expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.

It also cited United Nations data indicating that at least 40% of internal conflicts over the past six decades have been associated with the exploitation of natural resources, and that conflicts linked to those resources have been twice as likely to recur.

Those international findings provide broader context for the center's warning, rather than a direct measure of Iraq's current contamination.

The center urged Iraqi authorities to strengthen national legislation protecting the environment during armed conflicts and to establish a comprehensive plan for addressing war-related pollution.

It called for faster clearance of mines and explosive remnants, rehabilitation of damaged agricultural land, and environmental and health assessments of places exposed to bombardment or hazardous substances.

Such assessments, it said, would help authorities document contamination and the risks faced by affected communities.

The report also recommended closer cooperation with international specialist organizations, systematic documentation of environmental violations and accountability under international law.

Environmental protection, it argued, should be incorporated into national security policy, crisis management and reconstruction planning, rather than handled only after emergencies have passed.

Although the center outlined a broad set of recommendations, it did not identify a timetable, dedicated funding or specific government commitments to implement them.

Its concluding message was that Iraq's recovery cannot be measured solely by the rebuilding of infrastructure or the return of residents. The condition of the land, water and ecosystems on which those communities depend remains a human-rights concern.

The environment, the center stressed, must not become a "silent victim of war," and access to a healthy environment should be treated as an integral part of the protection of human rights.

Kurdistan24's news writer and journalist Lavin Omar contributed to this report.