Six injured by unexploded ordnance in Penjwen farming area

SULAYMANIYAH — Six agricultural workers were injured Friday morning when an unexploded ordnance detonated in a farming area in Penjwen, a district in northeastern Sulaymaniyah governorate, authorities said.

The blast occurred around 7:30 a.m. as the workers paused for a break after working the fields, according to Penjwen police officer Karwan Abdullah.

Witnesses said the device appeared to be an old, rusted piece of metal. One of the workers, unaware it was dangerous, attempted to move it, triggering the explosion.

Authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening, though three of the workers sustained deep shrapnel wounds and were transferred to a hospital in Sulaymaniyah city for further treatment.

The workers had traveled from Said Sadiq district for seasonal labor in Penjwen. The explosion occurred in the Kilo plain, a former frontline during the Iran-Iraq war. Decades later, unexploded ordnance remains scattered across the area and continues to endanger communities.

Adham Mohammed, a schoolteacher supplementing his income through farm work, was among the injured. Speaking from Anwar Sheikh Hospital, he recalled the moments before the blast.

“One of my cousin’s sons threw the metal piece away to get it out of the area, then there was a blast, and six of us were injured,” he told 964media.

Of the 12 workers in the group, only eight were present when the explosion occurred. The rest stayed behind in Penjwen. All are reportedly in stable condition.

The Mine Directorate of the Kurdistan Region has identified Penjwen as the most heavily contaminated district in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. Explosions involving leftover munitions are not uncommon, especially during the busy farming season.

Earlier this year, two people were killed in separate landmine blasts in Penjwen. On March 24, a 40-year-old Peshmerga fighter, Hawkar Salih, died while collecting herbs near Siyamawa village. A week earlier, 20-year-old Dilshad Mahmood was killed in a similar incident in Korramew village.