The Secretary-General of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Haytham Rahmeh, has called on the international community, the United Nations, and international organizations to send expert teams to help remove landmines, which claim the lives of dozens of innocent civilians daily.
In a press statement, Rahmeh pointed out that the former Assad regime planted tens of thousands of landmines across various regions and provinces in Syria. In addition, there are thousands of unexploded war remnants and munitions.
Rahmeh said that as Syrians return to their country and attempt to reach their devastated areas and homes, they are falling victim to landmine and unexploded ordnance explosions in large numbers. He added that local resources are insufficient to prevent this ongoing disaster.
On Tuesday, the Syrian Civil Defense reported that a man was killed, and ten other civilians were injured—some critically—due to three separate landmine explosions left behind by the former Assad regime and its allies. These incidents occurred near the villages of Kabajib, Al-Asharah, and Hawiij Shamiya in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.
The Civil Defense also reported that two civilian brothers were killed when a landmine, a remnant of the Assad regime, exploded in the village of Abu Dafna in the countryside of Maaret al-Numan, southern Idlib, on Tuesday.
In its latest report on landmine casualties, the Civil Defense documented the deaths of 43 civilians—including eight children and one woman—and the injury of 72 civilians, including 29 children, some with critical wounds. These incidents occurred due to war remnants and landmine explosions in Syria between November 27, 2024, and Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
The Civil Defense also stated that its war-remnant removal teams have disposed of more than 1,060 unexploded munitions and identified 134 minefields in Syria from November 26, 2024, to January 18, 2025. These efforts aim to protect civilians and ensure their safe return to their homes.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
