Shafaq News – Basra

A landmine explosion wounded a Border Guard member on Tuesday in Basra province, southern Iraq, a security source said.

The victim, 45, suffered near-total amputation of both hands in the blast, the source told Shafaq News, noting that the security authorities opened an investigation into the incident.

Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to endanger lives in Basra, Iraq’s most contaminated province. Officials estimate that more than 54 million square meters in the Al-Zubair district alone remain littered with mines and cluster munitions from past conflicts, killing and injuring civilians while stalling agriculture and infrastructure projects.

Read more: War remnants haunt Iraq as Basra leads incontamination