Baath era unexploded ordnance

12-year-boy injured by mortar shell in Koya

2024-08-03 | 14:51

KOYA – A 12-year-old boy was injured after tampering with an old mortar shell in Erbil’s Koya district on Saturday morning, authorities said. Abdulrahman Abdulkhaliq, a child from a herding family, discovered the shell while tending to livestock. The detonation resulted in injuries to his hands and eyes.

The Kurdistan region remains littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance from years of conflict, including the eight-year Iran-Iraq War and skirmishes between the former Iraqi Baathist regime and Kurdish revolutionaries.

Dr. Nashet Mohammed, an assistant at the emergency department of Shahid Dr. Khalid Hospital in Koya, reported, “His hands were injured and he sustained damage to his eyes. After initial treatment, we transferred him to Erbil for further care.”

Security forces who surveyed the site discovered another mortar shell in close proximity. Aram Yassin, a spokesperson for the East Erbil Security Forces Directorate, said, “The mortar shell exploded when the boy tampered with it. The shells are from the Saddam Hussein era.”

The Kurdistan Mine Action Agency notes that approximately 776 square kilometers across the region are contaminated with mines. Since demining efforts commenced in 1992, about 60% of this area has been cleared, with 258 square kilometers still affected. High-risk areas include the Sulaymaniyah governorate and border regions such as Penjwen, Soran, Choman, Halabja, and Garmiyan.

Efforts to educate locals about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance have been ongoing. In mid-July, awareness campaigns were conducted by two teams under the Directorate of Mine Affairs in Erbil, specifically targeting families in the Soran border areas.

Landmines have resulted in over 13,400 casualties in the Kurdistan Region from the 1990s to mid-2021, which includes both deaths and debilitating injuries, the agency reported.