The General Directorate of Mine Action this week successfully finalized a Level 3+ Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) course for 10 specialized EOD staff at the Erbil Mine Action Training Center with support of UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

On Thursday, at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Mine Action in Erbil, and in the presence of Niyazi Khalid, Deputy Head of the General Directorate of Mine Action; Ali Miran, General Technical Director of the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency; Ali Abdulrahman, General Director of Mine Action Erbil; and Graham Middleton, Explosive Hazard Management Team Lead at UNMAS, a closing ceremony was held for the advanced L3+ EOD course, and certificates of completion were awarded to the participants, the General Directorate of Mine Action said in a press release.

“With the support of UNMAS, the General Mine Action Directorate successfully conducted a Level 3+ Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) course for 10 specialized EOD staff at the Erbil Mine Action Training Center,” the General Directorate of Mine Action said. 

The course lasted from November 2-20, 2025, continuing over three weeks at the Erbil Training Center under the General Directorate of Mine Action. Participants came from the General Directorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, Halabja, and the Autonomous Administration of Garmian.

Demining action activities began in the Kurdistan Region in 1992, and this is the first training course of this level to be conducted in the region. 

Read More: Kurdistan Mine Action Agency Continues Demining

Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, has over 2,700 square kilometers contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war. Mines and improvised explosives have accumulated since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, increasing during the 1991 Gulf War, and the 2003 U.S. invasion. Most recently, ISIS left explosives in many areas, especially on the border of the Kurdistan Region, and in cities like Mosul.

According to the General Directorate of Mine Action, the course significantly enhanced the expertise of the participants, enabling them to handle a larger and more diverse range of explosive ordnance than before. This will have substantial benefits for advancing mine action efforts, particularly in the field of explosive ordnance disposal across the Kurdistan Region, the agency said.