IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Landmines and remnants of war threaten farmers’ lives in the region of Zawiya Mount in the southern countryside of Idlib, northwestern Syria.
Mines also deprive farmers of their land to be invested, causing the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians in the past few months.
“About 10 mine explosions took place in Zawiya Mount over the past few months.” Tareq al-Ali, a resident of Idlib countryside, told North Press.
“Last month, a landmine exploded in an agricultural land near the town of Kansafra, south of Idlib, killing three civilians, including a child.”
“A civilian was killed and another injured in a similar explosion in the agricultural land in the town of al-Bara in the southern countryside of Idlib, early last month,” he added.
Samira al-Yousef, a widow and mother of a 12-year-old child living in the town of Balyon in Zawiya Mount, said that she was horrified by the death of her husband and her young child after a landmine exploded while her husband was working in the land near the town of Kansafra, south of Idlib.
Ahmad Sheikho, a civil defense official, said that since the formation of the Munitions Removal Squad in 2016, they have been able to remove 23,322 explosive devices, including more than 20,000 cluster bombs and more than 600 bombs that have been removed since the end of April 2019.
According to statistics of the Syrian Institute for Justice and Documentation (an institute specialized in documenting violations and war crimes in Syria), the number of victims of mines explosions and remnants of war in Syria since 2016 has reached 1,552 civilians all over the country.
While Haj Yasser al-Junaid, a resident of Zawiya Mount, told North Press that he did not visit his farm near the town of al-Bara for nearly two months, after a relative lost his life when a landmine exploded there while he was ploughing.
For her part, Umm Anas, as she identified herself as a resident of the town of Kansafra, said that her family depended on the land harvest for her livelihood, and her husband went to check on his land despite the dangers.
She added that he went to the land and came back several times without being harmed, but the last time he selected a different route without taking the warnings of the residents of the area into account and lost his life.
Abu Anas lost his life because of a landmine explosion while working on his land near the frontlines with the Syrian government forces in the southern countryside of Idlib.
On October 28, four workers died and several others were injured due to a landmine explosion near the city of Khan Sheikhoun west of Idlib, within areas held by Syrian government forces.