Environment Ministry tackles landmine protection

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Experts from the Ministry of Environment on Thursday discussed means of protection against over 25 million landmines in Iraq, according to an official ministerial source. “Today, the ministry discussed with officials from the Mines’ Affairs Department a media and awareness plan and the UNICEF’s support for the project,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. According to official statistics, over 12,000 persons have been killed by landmines since 1992 in Iraq. The former government planted nearly 20 million mines all over the country, half of which in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. SS (P)/SR 2