Seven injured, mostly children, in war remnant explosion in Basra

Shafaq News/ Seven people, including five children, were injured on Tuesday when a war remnant exploded in northern Basra, a security source said.

The blast occurred in Al-Ghmeij, north of Basra’s Al-Qurna district, when children were playing football near their homes, the source told Shafaq News.

“The explosive device dates back to the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and detonated in a residential area…The injured children suffered serious wounds across different parts of their bodies and were transferred to Al-Qurna Hospital for treatment.”

The explosion marks the second deadly war remnant incident in Basra within a week.

On February 8, in the Rumaila, west of Basra, a landmine detonated as a family passed through the desert, killing two children and two young men, while two others—including a woman—were injured.

Iraq’s desert and border regions, particularly in Basra, remain heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance from past conflicts, leading to frequent deadly incidents.