On the week of July 2, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq received approximately $813,000 from Belgium and $953,000 from Sweden in support of humanitarian initiatives to reduce the threat from landmines and other explosives in the country.

According to data from the Iraq National Mine Action Authority, more than 2,700 square kilometers in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, are contaminated with landmines, cluster munitions, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other types of explosive remnants of war.

UNMAS #Iraq thanks the Government of #Sweden for the additional contribution of USD 952,560. The contribution will be utilized to protect civilians in explosive ordnance-contaminated areas, support the safe return of displaced people, and enable development efforts in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/vxqRuXDPvV

— UNMAS (@UNMAS) July 3, 2024

“UNMAS Iraq would like to thank the Government of Sweden for its consistent and longstanding support to mine action in Iraq,” UNMAS Iraq Chief Pehr Lodhammar said in a press release on July 2.

“With this additional funding, the endeavors to protect Iraqis from unexploded ordnance will continue, allowing for safe and dignified returns and safe access to agricultural areas. Furthermore, UNMAS will continue to support Iraqi mine action stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and localized mine action response.” 

In January 2023, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that, according to data from the KRG Mine Action Agency (IKMAA), 2,316,756 square meters of land was cleared of mines and IEDs in the Kurdistan Region the year before.

Moreover, the KRG announced on June 12 that the IKMAA had begun marking tens of thousands of square meters of land throughout the Kurdistan Region with red triangle signage to warn the public of the presence of landmines, particularly as many people use these areas for hiking and picnics.

Many people still die from mines and explosives every year in the region. Currently, thousands of minefields have been registered by the IKMAA, and the organization continues to clear these fields daily.

Iraq has been littered with mines and IEDs since the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s, with the number of such explosives growing during the Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. liberation of Iraq in 2003, and the rise of ISIS, which left explosives in many civilian homes.