Mine event in Iraq on Fri 8th March 2024

Landmine blast kills picnicker in Kirkuk province

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A landmine believed to date back to the Baathist regime era exploded in Kirkuk province on Friday, killing one person and injuring another, a police spokesperson said.

A family was picnicking in Jawa Bor village when a landmine exploded, Amir Nuri, Kirkuk police spokesperson, told Rudaw’s Soran Hussein. The father of the family was killed and his son was injured.

Nuri said he believes the landmine was planted decades ago during the reign of Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein. The area where the incident occurred had been a frontline between the Baathist army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan approaches, many Muslims are taking picnics as they seek to enjoy the good weather before they begin their 30 days of fasting.

Kirkuk’s police directorate on Friday warned people not to visit areas suspected to be contaminated with landmines.

Many areas in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are known to be contaminated with explosive remnants from the eight-year-long war between Iran and Iraq that started in 1980. Along Kurdistan Region’s border with Iran, there are tens of millions of unexploded landmines and explosive ordinances. Every year, people are killed or left with permanent injuries.

Mine clearing teams are working on clearing the explosives, but the area they must clear is vast.