ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Nearly 800 mines and unexploded ordnance have been cleared in the Kurdistan Region since the beginning of the year, after rainfall brought more to the surface, an official said Sunday.

Jabbar Mustafa Rasul, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Mine Action Agency (IKMAA), told The New Region that 106 citizen reports had come in since the beginning of the year.

“Following our teams' response to calls received via the hotline, they have cleared 790 mines and war remnants — comprising 44 mines, 743 pieces of unexploded ordnance, and 3 bombs,” Rasul said, calling on people to continue reporting any sightings of unexploded ordnance.

Due to the heavy rainfall and floods, some mines have been uncovered while others have moved onto public pathways, he warned.

Last year, Rasul told The New Region that 776 square kilometers of the Kurdistan Region were contaminated with mines and remnants of war, adding that 559 square kilometers had been demined, and 217 square kilometers were left.

The mine agency has demined approximately 11 million square meters since 2019.

The remnants of war from successive Iraqi regimes attempting to suppress Kurdish uprisings, the Iraq-Iran war, and the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) still claim lives every year, especially during the springtime when families flock to mountain areas for picnics.

Around 13,500 people have been killed or injured due to landmines in the Kurdistan Region throughout the years, according to Rasul, who added that anti-personnel mines make up approximately 90 percent of all the mines in the Region, while the rest are anti-tank mines.