Mine event in Iraq on Sun 1st September 2024

NINEVEH – A bomb explosion near the Al-Risala residential complex, south of the Ba’aj district in Nineveh, killed three children and a young man on Sunday morning. A fifth person was seriously injured and is currently in critical condition at Ba’aj Public Hospital.

A security source told 964media that “all the victims were from the same family and worked as shepherds.” The source explained that the group had entered an abandoned room near the residential complex to rest when the explosion occurred.

The area is known to be littered with remnants of past conflicts, including unexploded ordnance and landmines, which continue to pose a severe threat to civilians. The source said authorities frequently warn shepherds about the dangers in the area.

Iraq’s landscape is still hazardous due to the remnants of the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and the more recent conflict with ISIS.

Mazen Hududi, the communication head for the Mosul Police Command, clarified that the bomb, likely planted by ISIS militants, detonated while the children were playing inside the abandoned house. Hududi added that security forces and bomb disposal units are conducting an investigation and search operation in the area to prevent further incidents.

Ba’aj district, located west of Mosul, was a heavily contested area during ISIS’s occupation of the region.

This incident is part of a wider pattern of similar explosions across Iraq, underscoring the ongoing danger posed by explosive remnants. Recently, a 17-year-old shepherd named Hawra suffered burns and shrapnel injuries from a landmine explosion in the Leih area of Salman district, Al-Muthanna Governorate.