More than 108 mine-planted lands have been cleared in a month in Kurdistan Region

Erbil, Kurdistan Region (GOV.KRD) - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) through the Mine Action Agency continues to clear lands contaminated with mines and explosives and has so far handed over thousands of square meters of cleared land to its owners.
The General Directorate of Technical Affairs at the Mine Action Agency stated that 108,413 meters square of land has been cleared of mines across the Kurdistan Region, in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Garmiyan independent administration. The rate of cleared land by the Mine Action Agency has reached 40 percent and is divided as follows:

- General Directorate of Mine Action in Erbil: 40.697 m2
- General Directorate of Mine Action in Sulaimani: 26.345 m2
- General Directorate of Mine Action in Duhok: 31.332 m2
- General Directorate of Mine Action in Garmiyan independent administration: 10.039 m2

Seven minefields were cleared in November 2022 and its divided as follows:
- Erbil province: four fields
- Sulaimani province: two fields
- Garmiyan independent administration: one field

The mechanically equipped area of land reached 2.055 m2 and its divided as follows:
- Erbil province: 940 m2
- Sulaimani province: 1.105 m2

In November 2022, a total of 70,000 m2 of land were permanently designated.

An area of 6,435 m2 has been inspected by defining teams, divided as follows:
- Erbil province: 1,000 m2
- Duhok province: 4,935 m2
- Garmiyan independent administration: 500 m2

Organizations
An area of 16,467 m2 has been cleared of mines by organizations, meaning 60% of the cleared land has been done by organizations and it is divided as follows:
- Four fields were cleared by MAG
- A battlefield of 255,000 has been cleared
- A field of an area of 50,815 m2 has been cleared and handed over to its owner
- An area of 4,900 m2 has been mechanically equipped
- An area of 174,338 m2 has been permanently identified
- A land area of 4,180 m2 was examined by explosive demolition teams in November 2022
- 215 anti-personnel mines were destroyed
- 242 pieces of UXO explosive have been destructed
- An area of 56,324 high-risk areas has been cleared

Quality Assurance
The activities of the Quality Assurance Department are divided as follows:
- 80 visits to minefields
- Filling out 142 questionnaires during field visits
- 22 pieces of minerals found underground
- Sampling from seven fields
- A minefield of an area of 85,464 m2 prepared for sampling
- An area of 10,628 m2 has been sampled

Several activities have been implemented in the field of educating and helping mine victims.

First: Awareness
- 46 visits to villages and camps in provinces and independent administrations by the Mine Action Agency
- 64 meetings with beneficiaries
- 182 men over 18 years old are among the beneficiaries
- 151 women over 18 years old are among the beneficiaries
- 708 young boys between the age of 13-17 are among the beneficiaries
- 549 young girls between the age of 13-17 are among the beneficiaries
- 982 male children between the age of 6-12 are among the beneficiaries
- 532 female children between the age of 6-12 are among the beneficiaries

Distribution of 3,287 awareness leaflets to provinces and divided as follows:
- Erbil province: 927
- Sulaimani province: 385
- Duhok province: 1,899
- Garmiyan administration: 76

Organizations have distributed 19,356 awareness leaflets:
- MAG Organization: 5,089
- SOS Organization: 14,267

Second: Helping victims
Prosthetic centers activities:
- Registering 144 new patients
- 46 inpatients
- 460 cases of physiotherapy
- Repairing 277 prosthetic limbs
- Providing three wheelchairs
- Providing 143 crutches and roller walker
- Manufacturing 28 orthotic tools
- Repairing seven upper limbs
- Repairing 60 lower limbs

Third: the number of victims of mines and explosives
The number of wounded:
- Erbil province: two
Duhok province/Nineveh: one