Zaman al-Wasl obtained an official document issued by the Engineering Directorate – 166th Regiment, dated July 1, 2017, confirming the presence of minefields planted around the Saydnaya Military Prison. The document also acknowledged the loss of some of the original plans for these fields.
The document reveals that 12 individual minefields were planted in the First Military Sector (Saydnaya) in 1988, more than three decades ago, with no indication of any removal or maintenance since then. Plans for only six of these minefields are available, while the rest are missing.
Lost Plans
The document indicates that the available copies of the "Minefield Installation File" include fields 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 12. This means that the plans for minefields 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are missing. This lack of detail makes it virtually impossible to determine the exact locations of the minefields, even for the military forces that planted them during the era of Hafez al-Assad.
Prolonged Danger to Civilians
The loss of plans has turned the area surrounding the prison into a random minefield, posing a direct threat to civilian lives. With no fence or warning signs in some locations, the danger remains for herders, local residents, and anyone approaching these areas. Fortunately, the mines did not explode during the prison's liberation and the families' search for their children.
Time Bomb
Mines planted more than 35 years ago have likely lost their mechanical stability, increasing their sensitivity to the possibility of accidental detonation. This makes the area surrounding Sednaya Prison a ticking time bomb that will threaten the lives of innocent people for decades to come.
By Hussein al-Shishakli
Zaman Al Wasl
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