Landmine incident in Iraq, 4 dead

On Saturday 8 February, a landmine incident occurred in the Rumaila desert in Basra province, resulting in the deaths of two children and two young men and injuring two others. The injured were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment and, according to a security source, the authorities have launched an investigation. A significant amount of unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains in the desert areas of Iraq, particularly in Basra and other border regions, dating back to the 1980-1988 war with Iran and exacerbated by subsequent conflicts, resulting in thousands of casualties and permanent disabilities. In response, the Iraqi Ministry of Environment had previously presented a plan to clear unexploded ordnance by 2028. Of the 6,600 square kilometres identified as contaminated, demining teams have cleared 4,540 since 2003.