
The European Union intends to fund landmine removal activities in Syria, as stated by the acting head of the EU Delegation to Syria, Michael Ohnmacht, via his account on the X platform, on Saturday, April 26.
During his visit to the first and second Daraya schools in the countryside of Damascus, Ohnmacht highlighted the need for awareness of the dangers of landmines in schools.
Landmines in Syria
Over the 14 years of conflict in Syria, landmines have been used by the Assad regime and other parties, including the Islamic State group and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
They are concentrated in areas with specific geographical features, such as the Badia and agricultural lands, exposing farmers to danger.
Almost daily, Syria witnesses victims due to landmine explosions, which hinder agricultural work, safe returns to some areas, and reconstruction efforts.
According to Human Rights Watch, landmines have killed and injured more than 600 people, including children, since December 2024.
Since the beginning of the Deterrence of Aggression Operation on November 27, 2024, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented the killing of 45 civilians, including six children and four women, due to landmine explosions.
In March 2025, two young men were killed, and another went missing due to the explosion of an anti-tank mine in the countryside of Latakia, one of three war remnants explosion incidents that occurred in a single day.
War remnants
Incidents of war remnants explosions have increased since the fall of the previous regime on December 8, following the return of residents to areas previously controlled by the regime.
The war remnants survey teams from the Syria Civil Defence have identified 95 fields and points scattered with landmines and war remnants in civilian areas, near civilian homes, agricultural fields, and facilities in cities and towns that were under the control of the previous regime and its allies in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo.
The teams discovered dozens of minefields containing internationally banned anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines.
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