More than 2,100 square kilometers of Iraq planted with landmines

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Hiba Adnan, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Iraq, on Friday announced that more than 2,100 square kilometers of Iraq remain inundated with mines and explosive remnants.

The spokesperson stated that among the provinces with the greatest number of landmines, explosive remnants, and bombs is Basra province.

“The ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Erbil has registered 18,239 people who have lost part of their bodies as a result of mines and remnants of war,” Adnan noted.

Reportedly, approximately 5,225 mine-related deaths have been recorded in the area since the Iran-Iraq War.

With landmines populating 650 million square meters of land, Iraq has the most landmines of any country worldwide, according to the international Landmine Monitor. Of the approximately 650 million square meters containing explosives in the country, nearly half (314 million) are in the Kurdistan Region.