ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Farmers of the northern countryside of Aleppo, under the control of the Syrian government forces in northern Syria, say that mines and remnants of war threaten their lives and prevent the investment of agricultural lands.
Failure to clear mines from land and homes has left tracts of land uncultivated, although nearly a year has passed since the government forces took control of it.
On February 2020, government forces managed to take control of the towns of Anadan, Haritan, Hayan, Kafr Hamrah, Qubtan al-Jabal, Sheikh Aqil, and the village of Anjara in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after battles with Turkish-backed armed opposition groups.
War remnants
Abdo al-Beij, a farmer from the town of Hayan, said that “the government’s statements about our areas are contrary to reality.”
“Our areas are not safe, and we are still living with mines,” he added.
He pointed out that through residents’ efforts, they were able to remove war remnants and some mines from homes and roads, but they were not able to remove them from agricultural lands.
The farmer said that they had repeatedly called on the government to bring in engineering teams to remove them, but there has been no response.
Last week, a landmine exploded with a herd of sheep in an agricultural land of Bayanoun town in the northern countryside of Aleppo, causing the death of more than six sheep, according to the residents of the town.
Dangerous risks
Other farmers in the area said that they cultivated their land despite of the dangers of exploding mines, because they depend for their livelihoods on agriculture and raising livestock in light of poor economic conditions and the lack of employment opportunities.
Abdullah Asma, a farmer from Bayanoun, said that he plowed his agricultural land despite his fear of mines.
During the past years, mines were planted in agricultural lands in the northern countryside of Aleppo, especially those that were located on the front lines between the armed opposition groups and government forces.
Uncultivated lands
Residents of the town of al-Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo estimate the area of agricultural land that has not been invested in in the town’s countryside due to fear of exploding mines at more than 30 hectares.
Ala’ Deeb, a resident of al-Zahraa, said that the town’s farmers have not yet been able to profit from their agricultural lands, vineyards, and olives located south of the town as they were on the front lines with the armed opposition groups.
He accused the armed opposition groups of deliberately planting the largest quantity of mines and leaving their remnants in the vicinity of the town and among the agricultural lands that were under their control.
Deeb believes that removing mines and remnants of war, especially the missiles and rockets left by the armed opposition groups buried in agricultural lands, is the responsibility of the government forces which have the equipment and expertise to remove them.