The amount of land controlled by the so-called Islamic State (IS) is shrinking quickly in both Iraq and Syria, but the group is leaving behind landmines and dangerous unexploded ordinances that can kill and maim victims. According to the NGO Syrian Institute for Justice, booby-traps and landmines planted by the retreating IS killed 29 people within ten days of Manbij’s liberation.
“The first explosion killed our neighbour and his sister-in-law when they entered their house … Three days later another mine killed my cousin. His 11-year-old daughter’s leg was amputated and their house was destroyed. A week later another mine in an olive tree exploded. My neighbour lost his leg.”
- Ali Hussain Omari, interview, The Economist
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