Bomb maker arrested in Iraq over killing two schoolgirls

Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – An Iraqi fisherman was arrested Sunday in Dhi Qar governorate as he was found implicated in killing two schoolgirls via his locally-made landmines, a security source was quoted as saying.

“A force from the Counter-Terrorism Service raided the fisherman’s house in al-Nasiriyah district in Dhi Qar and took him to a detention center as he will face charges of manufacturing landmines that killed two schoolgirls and injured another earlier in the day,” the source told Alghad Press.

“The three students were on their way to school when the landmine exploded.”

The suspect is believed to be “manufacturing the landmines to use them in his business,” and not for terrorist attacks, the source noted. “He was referred to the authorities concerned to be interrogated,” added the source.

Following decades of fierce conflicts between Iraqi government forces and armed groups, Iraq is still heavily contaminated with landmines and other unexploded materials. The UN says nearly five million people have been displaced since Islamic State militants took over large areas of Iraq in 2014 to proclaim a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”.

The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over 5 million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.