In the framework of support given since 2019 to the activities of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq and Syria, Belgium has decided on a new contribution of 1.5 million euros in 2024. In recent years, Belgium has supported demining in Iraq and Syria for more than 11 million euros.
The need for demining in Iraq and Syria remains very high. Contamination from landmines and other explosive remnants has an impact not only on the immediate safety of boys and girls as well as women and men, but also on their access to humanitarian aid, on their access to livelihood, on the possibility of reconstruction and stabilization and on sustainable development (education, health care, etc.).
Read more…
Source: Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Related:
- In Iraq, the Bitter Legacy of War Still Lies Hidden Underground
February 12, 2022
Like the neck of a giraffe, a minesweeping vehicle extends a serrated bucket forward and dips its teeth into the blighted earth. It drags the dry soil backward, sifting, before harvesting a jerrycan and gently placing it on the edge of a field. This is no harmless piece of trash; the container holds 20 liters (or ...
- Iraq: Attack against a Global Coalition’s convoy thwarted in al-Diwaniyah
February 9, 2022
Iraqi Security Forces thwarted a roadside bomb attack against a Global Coalition’s convoy in al-Iskan area, al-Diwaniyah Governorate. The Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency in the Ministry of Interior discovered and defused two explosive devices planted alongside the highway in the Al-Iskan area. The devices were rendered safe on site by an EOD expert. https://twitter.com/SecMedCell/status/1491470283848441858 Source: Security Media ...
- Iraq: One civilian, three troops killed in a bomb attack in al-Anbar
February 9, 2022
Three Iraqi soldiers and one civilian were reportedly killed in a bomb attack that targeted their vehicle in al-Rutba district, western al-Anbar, on Wednesday morning. A source told Shafaq News Agency that the soldiers were heading home on their leave when an explosive device detonated their vehicle in al-Sakkar area, killing them immediately. A civilian died in ...
- Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board report uncovers millions of dollars worth of UAV and bomb making materials trade
February 7, 2022
A report by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) on freezing the assets of people linked to ISIS in Turkey has uncovered an evidence of the illicit arms trade. According to the MASAK report, millions of dollars worth of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment and parts as well as tons of improvised explosive devices making materials ...
- Pushed into the shadows, Islamic State still has global reach
February 4, 2022
Since the peak of its power seven years ago, when it ruled millions of people in the Middle East and struck fear across the world with deadly bombings and shootings, Islamic State has slipped back into the shadows. Its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria folded under a sustained military campaign by a U.S.-led coalition, and ...
- UNICEF: Four children killed by explosive ordnance in Iraq
February 2, 2022
“Four children have died – three boys and one girl – and two children have been maimed over the last week, as a result of incidents related to explosive ordnances in two locations in Iraq. UNICEF expresses its deep sorrow and condolences to the children’s families, friends, and communities. “Tragically, as reported in a UNICEF statement ...
- American woman arrested, allegedly trained women of ISIS
January 30, 2022
A Kansas woman was charged with providing material support to ISIS, according to charges unsealed by the Justice Department on Friday night. On six separate occasions between 2014 and 2017, authorities say Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, allegedly expressed interest in carrying out terrorist attacks in the United States in support of ISIS, the foreign terrorist organization that’s ...
- Syria: ISIS attack on Hasaka prison must be thoroughly investigated – Coalition
January 26, 2022
The US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) said on Wednesday that the circumstances that led to last week’s major attack by ISIS on Ghweran prison in Hasaka, northeast Syria (Rojava) must be thoroughly investigated. ISIS attacked al-Sina’a prison in Ghweran neighborhood last Thursday with explosive-laden vehicles and other weapons. The prison is held by ...
- Explosive weapons: Civilians in populated areas must be protected
January 26, 2022
As the world urbanizes, so too do conflicts. It is estimated that some 50 million people now suffer the horrific consequences of urban warfare – a trend that is likely to continue as more and more people concentrate in towns and cities. Many of these conflicts are fought using weapons designed to deliver large explosive force ...
- Iraq: Roadside bomb blast kills three soldiers, injures one in Kirkuk city
January 24, 2022
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed on Monday morning in bomb blast targeting their patrol on a road in Kirkuk city, north of the capital Baghdad, a military source said. A fourth soldier was injured in the same attack, which was not immediately claimed. It follows an attack on an army base on Friday in which 11 soldiers ...
