Over 100 anti-personnel Mines discovered in Erbil's Rawanduz District
Shafaq News/ The General Directorate of MineAction in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, reported on Friday thediscovery of more than 100 anti-personnel mines (APL), along with severalpieces of unexploded ordnance, in the village of Bekhal, in the Rawanduzdistrict of Erbil governorte, northern Iraq.
In a statement, the directorate explained thatits demining teams, with support from the International Trust Fund (ITF) basedin Slovenia, conducted clearance operations across areas contaminated byexplosives.
“The teams successfully uncovered 101anti-personnel mines of the Valmara-69 type, along with several other warremnants in the minefield,” according to the statement.
The minefield, known as Grokopia (???????? in Kurdish ????????,)spans an area of 55,821 square meters. After completing the clearance, the landwas formally handed back to its owner during a ceremony held at the Rawanduzdistrict office.
The Iraqi Kurdistan contains landmines and unexploded ordnance leftbehind by the former Iraqi government over the past four decades, as well asthose placed by the Iranian Army during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988.
Despite facing numerous challenges, the Region has successfully cleareda significant number of minefields, allowing the land to be returned to itsrightful owners.
