Forty people have been killed in Syria in less than two months due to the explosion of landmines planted by the former regime’s army and remnants of war from bombing cities and villages.

According to statistics obtained by Enab Baladi from the Syria Civil Defence on Monday, January 20, 40 people were killed, including 8 children and one woman, as a result of landmine explosions and war remnants between October 27, 2024, and January 19, 2024 (since the launch of the “Deterrence of Aggression” battle).

During the same period, 65 civilians were injured, including 28 children with severe injuries.

The Civil Defence indicated that the statistics include explosion incidents that its teams responded to.

In the period preceding the “Deterrence of Aggression” battle, from early 2024 until November 26, five people were killed, including three children, and 27 people were injured, among them 23 children and two women.

The Civil Defence told Enab Baladi that its teams carried out 659 demining operations from November 26, 2024, until January 18, 2024, during which they disposed of 1,060 unexploded ordnance.

They identified 134 minefields and points of mines (including anti-tank and anti-personnel mines) in Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Deir Ezzor, and Latakia. The Civil Defence also provided 330 practical training sessions for residents before they return to the areas from which they were displaced.

The Civil Defence stated to Enab Baladi that these remnants left by the former regime threaten the lives of Syrians and obstruct their journey in search of safety, returning to their homes, and working in their farms in vast areas of Syria.

In previous interviews conducted by Enab Baladi with residents of the Shams al-Hurriya camp in al-Dana, Idlib, to identify the reasons hindering their return to their homes after the regime’s fall, Mohammad Abdul-Qader, from the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, said that one of the main factors threatening their return is the widespread presence of landmines in their area.

Noura al-Mohammad, from eastern Homs countryside and also residing in the same camp, stated that she cannot return to her village until the war remnants and mines are removed.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the killing of no less than 3,521 civilians, including 931 children and 362 women, due to landmine explosions from 2011 until the end of 2024.

The network reported that the injuries resulting from these incidents amounted to about 10,400 people, many of whom require prosthetics and rehabilitation and psychological support.

It added that all conflict parties in Syria since 2011 have planted landmines without announcing the contaminated areas or securing them to protect the population.

The network confirmed that the landmines caused the deaths of seven civil defence personnel, eight medical staff, and nine journalists, reflecting the danger of these remnants to civilians and humanitarian workers.