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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Calls for Int’l Bodies to Remove Unexploded War Ordnance in Syria

A displaced Syrian child standing beside the remnants of war (SOHR)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) renewed its appeal to all relevant international bodies to urgently remove old and unexploded wat ordnance in Syria.

War ordnance, such as old landmines and unexploded IEDs, bombs, shells, projectiles, grenades, and other munitions continue to pose a threat to the safety and lives of innocent Syrians, the war monitor stressed, noting that they are widely spread in the country.

These explosive remnants of war (ERW), which had been planted by military formations across the entire Syrian geography for over 11 years, have tragically killed and injured a large number of the Syrian people, it warned in a report published on Tuesday.

The SOHR has monitored and tracked the issue of explosive remnants of war and documented all the casualties in explosions of old landmines and unexploded ordnance across Syria in July 2022.

It documented the death of 20 civilians, including 14 women and eight children, and the injury of 30 civilians, including a woman and 20 children.

It further issued a monthly breakdown of casualties of explosions of old ordnance across Syria this year, noting that 16 civilians died in June, including four women and eight children, while 65 people were injured, including two women and 22 children.

In May, the war monitor said 19 people died, including two women and eight children, and 22 were injured, including two women and 15 children, some of whom sustained severe injuries.

In April, 19 civilians died, including two women and 12 children, while 22 people were injured, including four women and 13 children, some of whom sustained severe injuries.

March witnessed the death of 29 civilians, including 12 children, and the injury of 29, including three women and nine children, some of whom sustained severe injuries.

According to the report, 33 died in February, including two women and 16 children, and 37 were wounded, including 31 children.

It documented the death of 11 people in January, including two children, and the injury of 17 people, including nine children and two females.

Accordingly, SOHR documented the death of 127 civilians, including 10 women and 54 children, due to explosions of old landmines, unexploded shells and bombs across Syria since early 2022.

In addition, 192 civilians, including 11 women and 98 children, sustained various injuries in the same period.

Among the total death toll, a man and his son were killed in the collapse of a war-damaged building in Darya city in Rif Dimashq, as well as the death of four civilians in the collapse of another building in Jubar neighborhood.

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