Iraqi official says civilian killed in landmine explosion in Basra
Representational photo
Basra (Iraqinews.com) – An Iraqi civilian was killed Monday as a landmine left over from the anti-terror war exploded at a border area in Basra governorate, a provincial official was quoted as saying.
Jabar al-Saadi, the head of the security committee at the Basra provincial council, told the SNG news agency that a landmine exploded while a civilian was searching for minerals in Shalamcheh town on the country’s border with Iran. The explosion left the civilian dead.
The landmine is believed to be left over from Iraq’s three-year fight against Islamic State, Saadi pointed out, adding that the victim was moved to the forensic medicine department.
Last month, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) welcomed the contribution of USD 4.5 million from the Government of Japan to support the UNMAS Iraq emergency response related to on-going humanitarian and stabilization efforts in liberated areas contaminated with explosive hazards.
According to UNMAS, removing explosive hazards is the first step to commence rehabilitation and reconstruction activities with the Government of Iraq and UN partners, bringing the people of Iraq back to normal life and restoring economy.
Japan’s total contributions to UNMAS Iraq for the past three years now total USD 12.8 million. Since the inception of the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action (UNVTF) in 1994, Japan has contributed more than USD 190.5 million to support mine action efforts worldwide.