08-05-2025
Duhok farmland free of Saddam-era mines
Shafaq News/ Demining teams have cleared dozens of war-era explosives from farmland in Iraq's Duhok province, according to the provincial Mine Affairs Directorate.
The operation covered a 68-square-kilometer area seeded with landmines and shells by Iraqi forces during the early 1980s under Saddam Hussein, spokesperson Rekar Bisevki told Shafaq News. 'Residents should report any suspicious objects using the 182 hotline.'
Duhok has 779 known hazardous zones, of which only 376 have been cleared, leaving over 2.2 million square meters contaminated. Clearance has reached just 4.44% of the affected land, according to official data.
Iraq remains one of the world's most mine-contaminated countries after decades of conflict, including the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion, and the battle against ISIS. The Kurdistan Region, particularly Duhok, was also heavily mined during the Anfal campaign and other military operations in the 1980s.
