ANAMA: So Far, Almost 400 Civilians Are Victims Of Landmines
Date
9/6/2024 10:09:11 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Fatima Latifova
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The work to clear the liberated territories from landmines,
unexploded military ordnance, explosive devices, and other
explosive remnants continues, Azernews
reports.
Since the 44-day Patriotic War, over 160,000 hectares of land in
the Garabagh and Eastern Zangezur regions have been cleared, and
more than 156,000 landmines and various types of military ordnance
have been found and neutralized. During the mine clearance
operations, traps and ordnance left by Armenian armed units have
also been encountered.
Khalig Zulfugarov, the Operations Director of the Azerbaijan
National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), stated that the liberated
territories are seriously contaminated with landmines and other
explosive remnants of war. The activation of these explosives poses
risks to human life and health, leading to long-term severe
psychological trauma. In most cases, mine victims are civilians.
Since November 2020, 377 civilians have become victims of
landmines, with 69 losing their lives and 308 sustaining various
degrees of bodily injuries.
Zulfugarov noted that several factors complicate the land
clearance process. These include the non-standard, haphazard, and
mixed placement of mines, the installation of surprises and traps,
explosive devices made using improvised methods, the impact of the
terrain, barbed wire and fences, contamination of the area with
metal fragments, the sinking of mines due to rain and floodwaters,
and the deformation of wooden and plastic-cased mines which makes
them hazardous.
The increasing number of mine victims among civilians indicates
that people still do not fully understand the real danger.“It is
crucial for the population returning to or preparing to return to
Garabagh and Eastern Zangezur to be protected from the risks posed
by mines and other explosive remnants of war and to adhere to
safety rules. ANAMA is carrying out public awareness campaigns in
this regard. Informing young children and teenagers about surprise
mines can save lives. Let us remember that deadly devices can be
hidden inside any object, toy, or souvenir. Such cases have been
repeatedly encountered in the liberated territories,” emphasized
Zulfugarov.
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