United Nations: Iraq still needs support and continuous work before it becomes safe and free of mines

Thursday 17 February 2022 15:38
 
Baghdad / NINA / - The United Nations confirmed that Iraq still needs continuous support and work before it becomes completely safe and free of mines and remnants of war.

During the International Donors Conference in Mine Action under the auspices of the United Nations Mission in Iraq, held today, Pierre Lodhammer, Program Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service in Iraq, said, "We are all here to provide support to the Iraqis burdened by war and conflict, in conjunction with the fourth anniversary The government’s victory over ISIS, but the impact of ISIS is still alive, especially in the liberated areas, which are still contaminated with lethal bombs planted by ISIS with the aim of killing the largest number of innocent lives and spreading fear.

He added, "During the past month, we heard several fatal incidents related to explosive ordnance, and most of the victims were children, and last week we heard the death of an Iraqi with an innovative explosive device, who was accompanying a group of Kuwaiti fishermen in Anbar.

He explained: "The inherited landmines that pollute southern Iraq as well as the borders, decades passed since the Gulf War in the eighties and nineties, and they still threaten innocent civilians and restrict social and economic development to this day."

The UN official confirmed, "The United Nations Mine Action Service in 2021 officially launched its first operations in the Shatt al-Arab area in Basra, through an international grant that will last for two years to provide access to strategic areas that need agricultural and population development because it is not possible to move forward with reconstruction if the areas are contaminated with explosives and remnants of war.

And he indicated that: "So-called safe gardens were opened in areas that were within the danger zone of mines and remnants of war, the first of which was in Nineveh Governorate."

He pointed out: "The UN department has moved from explosive risk management to providing technical and advisory support to Iraq as part of the reconstruction and reconstruction efforts," noting that "the international grant does not focus on clearance only, but rather on the capabilities required to direct and manage mine-related programs, including the mobilization of financial resources." .

Ludhammer said, "Awareness of the danger of explosive ordnance is the first line of defense for many affected communities in areas where survey and field clearance cannot be conducted so that the population is well aware of the dangers posed by explosive ordnance," stressing that: "We still have a way to go to remove and disinfect explosive ordnance. There is a lot of work to do before Iraq is completely free from the dangers of unexploded ordnance and mines." / End 5

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