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Kirkuk governor warns of continuing danger of landmines in province

PM:07:14:25/02/2022

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SULAIMANI — The Governor of Kirkuk, Rakan al-Jabouri, said on Friday (February 25) in an address to the Council of Ministers that only 10 percent of the governorate has been de-mined, according to Iraqi state media.

Jabouri complained the aid provided to clear Kirkuk of landmines was poor, adding the governorate is plagued with a high rate of mines, according to Iraqi News Agency (INA).

He also stated ambassadors from donor countries visit Kirkuk and provide aid through the Ministry of Environment.

Unexploded ordnance and landmines left over from numerous past conflicts like the Iran-Iraq War litter Iraq and the Kurdistan Regio, particularly areas along the borders.

A 13-year-old shepherd was killed after an old mortar shell exploded in Qairawan village in Kirkuk in September, 2021.

UNICEF said on February 2 that 52 children were killed and 73 injured in Iraq in blasts from war remnants and unexploded ordnance in 2021.

(NRT Digital Media)