(Zaman Al Wasl)- The operation team in Syria Mine Action Centre (SMAC) announced that the town of Akhtarin subordinate to Azaz city in Aleppo’s northern countryside is safe and cleared of mines. The teams removed around 400 mines planted by the Islamic State before they left the town.
Many civilians were injured because of the mines distributed between houses, in orchards, gardens and different streets. The large numbers of injured and residents’ fears of further victims prompted them to call on specialized authorities to remove this mines to reduce danger of death or injury.
The operation team at SMAC specialized in demining responded to Akhtarin’s residents demands. The organization launched a demining campaign and gave the all clear on 26 January 2017, announcing that the town is “safe and clean.”
SMAC was established by volunteers dedicated to protecting civilians from the danger of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) planted or left behind as a result of the conflict. The team which includes over 50 volunteers operates mainly in Aleppo, Aleppo countryside and Idlib province. The team focus on demining, raising awareness about mines, and offering mine victims support.
Speaking to Zaman al-Wasl, team manager Adnan al-Hassan said, “We received several reports and calls for assistance through the local council and the residents regarding the mines in their houses and lands so we initiated to help them.”
He explained about that the Dost mine and Adaset, among other types of mines were used in the area. He described the methods the team used to remove them. Despite the team’s weak capabilities and the lack of sufficient equipment they managed to remove many of the mines in the villages of Tilalyan and Sanbl in Akhtarin district.
He pointed out that the demining team worked continuously over several months, “The demining operations began after undertaking a comprehensive mapping operation to locate all the places the Islamic State planted mines, and then remove them.” He confirmed that citizens can now return to their houses as they are safe.
Mines are one of the most dangerous remnants of war and children are especially vulnerable to the danger as they are unaware of what they are confronting when they come across a mine.
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