Jalawla heavily mined, most homes booby trapped

 ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two Kurdish officers were killed trying to defuse bombs in Jalawla, a Peshmerga spokesperson in Garmsar said.

He said that retreating Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have left so many mines and booby traps in Jalawla that it will take nearly three weeks to clear the town of explosives.

“The ISIS militants have packed the majority of streets and houses with mines,” he said. “These mines and bombs have been planted in some places where civilians cannot even imagine,” he added. “Some bombs are tied to doorknobs, ready to explode if someone pushes open the door.”

“Cleansing the town needs at least 20 days and we ask the people of the town not to be in a rush to return to their homes,” he said.

He said the two Peshmerga officers were killed on Monday in operations to clean the town, which were ongoing.