Man injured by landmine while foraging for herbs in Halsho

SULAYMANIYAH — A 45-year-old man was injured Wednesday morning when a landmine exploded under his foot as he foraged for wild herbs in the Halsho subdistrict of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, local sources told 964media.

Osman Babakr, a resident of Halsho, said the explosion occurred around 10 a.m. “We were informed that a mine exploded under the foot of one of our relatives, a 45-year-old father of four,” he said.

The man was brought down from the mountain by local residents and taken to Qaladze Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Azad Ahmad, the hospital’s director, said the man arrived at 12:35 p.m. with a leg injury. “They said a mine exploded under his foot. His leg was wounded and has been treated,” Ahmad told 964media. “He is now under medical observation, but the injury is not severe.”

Residents across the Kurdistan Region often hike into mountainous terrain each spring to gather wild herbs, a seasonal tradition that sometimes leads to accidents involving landmines or falls.

The region remains heavily affected by landmine contamination left over from conflicts including the Iran-Iraq War and military campaigns by the former Baathist regime. Remote and rural communities continue to face risk from unexploded ordnance, particularly during the foraging season.

In early April, a landmine explosion in the Qalarash mountains near Sidakan killed one man and seriously injured his brother while they were collecting herbs. In mid-March, a 50-year-old man was injured by a mine on Piran Mountain in Mergasor District.

Landmine incidents remain a recurring danger. So far in 2024, at least 11 casualties have been reported across the Kurdistan Region, including four deaths and seven injuries or amputations. In 2023, 23 landmine-related incidents resulted in 10 fatalities and 13 injuries.