Demining teams clear landmines, unexploded ordnance in Halabja’s Sazan village

HALABJA — The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Mine Action Agency reported that its Sulaymaniyah demining teams and explosive ordnance disposal experts, carried out a clearance operation in the village of Sazan, Halabja.

According to the agency, the operation, conducted on Wednesday, resulted in the detonation and destruction of 39 landmines of type V69, one landmine of type VS50, one 130 mm artillery shell, one 122 mm shell, one 105 mm shell, 10 mortar shells of 60 mm, one 23 mm round, two RPG rounds and more.

The Kurdistan Region remains heavily affected by landmines, a legacy of decades of conflict, including the Iran-Iraq War, fighting under the Baathist regime, and later instability. Mines and unexploded ordnance continue to endanger rural communities, threatening both lives and livelihoods.

Official figures show landmine explosions caused 11 casualties in the Kurdistan Region in 2024, including four deaths and seven injuries or amputations. In 2023, there were 23 incidents, resulting in 10 fatalities and 13 injuries.