50 million unexploded devices in Iraq, UN Data
Shafaq News / About 50 million unexploded devices were found in Iraq, The United Nations Data showed.
Experts estimate that landmines and grenades are scattered around Iraq, many along the 1200km border with Iran, a legacy of the 1980-88 war between neighbors that killed a million people.
In addition, About 90 Radioactive material has been found in the southern of Iraq due to the use of uranium by the US-led Coalition in 2003 invasion of Iraq, along with ISIS remnants.
The semi-official Al-Sabah Newspaper quoted on last Thursday an official of Civil Defense Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, Brig. Gen. Shahab Ahmed Abd, as saying that “mine and war remnants file is large, it cannot be end by year or two."
He pointed out that "UN reports estimated the number of military remnants in Iraq at 50 million in which the directorate removed 33,311 explosive devices in the past year.”
Extensive conflict in Iraq to retake cities from the ISIS displaced more than 5.8 million people between 2014 and 2017 and resulted in significant explosive ordnance contamination following associated military campaigns, in addition to improvised explosive devices deliberately left behind by ISIS.
It’s noteworthy that the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) works along the Iraqi Government to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating United Nations mine action.
