ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The continued presence of landmines in areas formerly held by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq poses a “direct threat” to the lives of civilians in the area, a military expert said on Thursday, nearly eight years after the jihadists’ defeat. 

“The lingering presence of mines and unexploded ordnance in some areas liberated from ISIS control poses a direct threat to the lives of civilians and hinders reconstruction and stability efforts,” Safaa al-Assim, a retired Major General, told The New Region. 

He explained that “thousands of mines” still remain, planted in agricultural lands, abandoned houses, and roadsides, pointing out that delays in mine clearance operations have prevented the areas’ development. 

ISIS took over large swathes of Iraq and Syrian territory in 2014, announcing its so-called “caliphate” with the Iraqi northern city of Mosul as its capital. The group, widely designated as a terrorist organization, was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, with assistance from US-led coalition forces. 

But the militants continue to pose security risks through sporadic hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces, in cooperation with Kurdish forces, have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants. 

“Government agencies and international organizations must intensify efforts to remove landmines and allocate awareness programs for local residents to reduce human losses,” Assim stressed, noting that civilians continue to lose their lives due to the presence of mines.