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Victims claim government
efforts to clear millions of landmines are
ineffective.
Though much of Kurdistan has enjoyed peace since the
overthrow of Saddam Hussein, war has left a lethal
legacy concealed in its fields, mountains and
villages.
Around 3,400 minefields cover an estimated 890
square kilometres - three landmines for every two
people in Kurdistan. Thousands may have been
defused, but many more remain live, and the casualty
toll in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991 - when the region
gained de facto autonomy from Saddam’s rule – is put
at 3,941 dead and 8,771 injured.
The evidence is everywhere, with thousands of people
walking on crutches or using wheelchairs. Of the
4,500 handicapped people in Sulaimaniyah province,
3,000 were maimed by mines, said Omer Kareem,
general manager of an agency helping the disabled in
the area. Kareem himself, now 29, lost both of his
legs to a mine when he was six.
Kurdish authorities have ongoing de-mining
operations in the region, and have cleared 220,000
anti-personnel mines and over 900 anti-tank devices
since 1991.
But that is only a fraction of the total. During its
eight-year war with Iran, Iraq bought 20 million
anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, laying 12
million of them in the Kurdish region, according to
statistics from the region’s demining directorate.
Victims say the government isn’t moving fast enough.
“There’s a large number of mines… but the de-mining
organisations have been sluggish in clearing them,”
said Gulala Shamal, who lost both legs in an
explosion.
Twana Basheer, a manager in the de-mining
directorate, attributed the slowdown to the
departure of expatriates working for foreign
mine-clearing agencies, which began after the US-led
invasion of Iraq. “Now we depend on Kurdish experts
to clear the mines,” he said.
Basheer explained, “At the beginning of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, we were able to clear a large number
of mines. But later on, our work came to a halt
because the government earmarked special funds and
teams for those areas, yet these haven’t been
deployed.”
De-mining operations are currently funded in part
with money from the Mines Advisory Group, a
British-registered charity that trains local people
to clear mines, and Norwegian People’s Aid, an
organisation that is also involved in mine clearing
and awareness programmes.
Difficulties in getting supplies through have also
delayed the process, said a government official who
asked not to be named. “The de-mining equipment
comes from abroad and it takes a long time to get to
Kurdistan,” he said.
Villagers sometimes grow impatient and decide to
clear the landmines themselves – often with tragic
consequences.
Ahmed Osman, 34, now sells women’s clothing in a
small shop in Penjwen. Three years ago, he and two
friends cleared 20 mines from their village.
Finally, one of them exploded, “One of us died,
another other had both his legs blown off, and I
lost my hand,” said Osman.
A number of agencies, both government and
non-government, provide wheelchairs, crutches,
prosthetic legs and job training. But those maimed
by landmines say the injuries are emotional as well
as physical.
Ali Kurdistani, who lost a leg in a mine blast, said
his injury has left him reclusive and ashamed. “I
can’t play, dance or build relationships with others
because I feel a failure deep inside,” he said.
For Aysha Fattah, 43, the pain comes from knowing
she will probably never marry.
“When I lost my leg and a hand, I lost my dreams
too,” said Fattah, who lives with her brothers in
Khanaqeen. “My life has been full of pain and
misery. Because of my disability, I lost my suitor
and I’m deprived of having a married life.”
Jamal Penjweni is an IWPR trainee journalist in
Sulaimaniyah.
www.iwpr.net
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