Decades after Iran-Iraq war, Kurdish farmer's land cleared of mines
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — After nearly four decades since the Iran-Iraq war, a farmer from Sulaimani’s Sharbazher area is finally able to walk on his farmland which has been partially cleared of landmines and explosives.
“Ever since 1983 when Iran neared the vicinity of our village and the Iraqi [army] approached the village from the town of Chwarta during the Iraq-Iran war, I had not been able to visit this area at all,” said Hama Saeed, a farmer from the village of Willyawa.
Saeed has finally been able to walk on his farmland in the village of Willyawa, in Sulaimani's Sharbazher district, after 38 years. Landmines and explosives left over from Iraq-Iran have been partially removed from his land.
Jabbar Fatih, a deminer working for the British Mine Advisory Group (MAG) said, “Today, we are handing over the land to the owner...we have cleared one part of it containing 1,030 pieces of ammunition.”
Dozens of people are maimed or killed across the Kurdistan Region by explosives each year. This property alone has seen nine casualties.
“So far, there have been nine casualties from these landmines. Among them are eight residents of Willyawa. Four of them were martyred and four were disabled,” Fatih added.
“In January of this year, one of our team members was also injured. Fortunately, he is now receiving treatment.”
According to the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Mine Action Agency, there have been about 13,400 mine explosion victims since the 1990s, including 3,000 deaths.
Iran's borders with the Kurdistan Region are dotted with unexploded landmines and ordinances. The Kurdistan Region has around 3,000 minefields.
“Mine clearance is a slow process because you want to save lives, not victimize others,” explained Muhsin Sheikh Abdulkarim, the general manager of Mine Affairs in Sulaimani.
“Secondly, the weather and topography of Kurdistan is that it is mountainous. For example, if we clear this part of the landmines and not the mountain peak, it will once again be littered with mines due to landslides caused by rainfalls, Abdulkarim says.
Over 500 square kilometers of land scattered with landmines have been cleaned since 1992. The remaining 260 square kilometers will continue to claim lives if not thoroughly cleaned.
Translation by Zhelwan Zeyad Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed