Local organization removes 2,000 mines in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, a local demining organization announced the removal of two thousand mines and other unexploded ordnance left behind by the Islamic State (ISIS) in the northern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, east Syria.
Mines and remnants of war have been an obstacle to the return of normal life and the safe return of residents to their villages and cities, which they left during the period of ISIS control.
Roj Organization (a non-governmental organization that works in coordination with the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor) said that the area of mine clearance has reached thirty thousand square meters and included government buildings in al-Ma’amel region.
The organization released a public statement announcing “the removal of two thousand homemade mines and war remnants left by ISIS.”
The work team consists of ten people divided into two trained and qualified teams to clear and deal with mines.
Abu Saleh, who is the head of the organization’s demining team, told North Press that it is difficult for his team to enter some of the buildings, and “we need special machinery and equipment for large mines and minesweepers.”
ISIS turned these buildings into warehouses for storing mortar shells, bombs, explosive devices, and other war remnants, added Abu Saleh.
During the coming period, the organization will work to remove mines in rural Deir ez-Zor from schools, government buildings, and agricultural land, he said.
There are no accurate statistics on the number of residents who lost their lives or were permanently disabled as a result of mine injury.