Iraq has been experiencing the effects of wartime long after the war itself actually ended. According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), there are ample remnants of explosive devices near the border areas of Iraq. These areas are heavily populated by families with children and these innocent civilians are now exposed to immediate danger from the explosive device remnants going off within a close proximity to their houses. These devices are remnants from the 1980 Iran-Iraq war and have simply not been cleaned up properly, according to the IRCS.
The director of the programs department in the IRCS, Mr. Mohsen Abdel-Hassan, has initiated investigations into the border regions to determine the situation. Abdel-Hassan has determined that the situation is extremely dangerous for those living there and has published “warning boards and posters before the arrival of the families.” The goal of this effort is to hopefully make Iraqi citizens aware of the dangers that pose the border regions of Iraq and perhaps deter them from moving there.
Abdel-Hassan highlighted the importance of finding and reporting each explosive device within a close proximity to residential areas around the border in order to make the residents aware of the potential dangers that surround them. The IRCS also reported that “the awareness and guidance campaigns come as an important first step to prevent the potential risks so that these areas are examined by the competent authorities and to confirm that they are free of remnants, during the awareness campaign, more than 2,250 awareness-raising publications were distributed, and the number of those targeted reached more than 2,500 people of different age groups.”
To know more, please read:
https://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/iraq/iraqmines1212.htm
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/04042021
Author: Gabriella Pavlakis; Editor: Sitara Sandhu
