Syrians returning home face deadly threat of landmines

Ayghad never thought that her dream of returning to her farm could turn out to be a nightmare.

He is fighting back tears as he shows us a picture of his late father, smiling and surrounded by olive trees in his country in Idlib province, northwest Syria.

The photo was taken five years ago, a few months before the forces allied with the former government took over their village, near the city of Saraqeb.

The city has been a stronghold of Syrian opposition groups for years, with forces allied to the deposed government of Bashar al-Assad launching an offensive in Idlib province in late 2019.

Thousands of people fled their homes, while Assad’s forces captured several other strongholds in the northwest by early 2020.

Ayghad and her father were among the refugees.

“We had to leave because of the war and the plane crash,” says Ayghad, tears filling her eyes. “My father refused to leave. He wanted to die in his country.”

The father and son wished they could go back. And when the opposition forces regained control of their village in November 2024, their dream was about to come true. But soon disaster struck.

“We went to our country to harvest olives,” explains Ayghad. “We went in two different cars. My father took another route back to our house in Idlib city. I warned him about it, but he insisted. His car hit a landmine and exploded.”

Ayghad’s father died there. Not only did he lose his father that day, but he also lost his family’s main source of income. Their farm, spread over 100,000 square meters, was full of 50-year-old olive trees. It is now said to be a dangerous bomb site.

At least 144 people, including 27 children, have been killed by landmines and unexploded remnants of war since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December, according to the Halo Trust, an international organization that works to clear landmines. and other explosive devices.

The Syrian Civil Defense – known as the White Helmets – told the BBC that most of those killed were farmers and landowners trying to return to their land after the fall of the Assad regime.

Unexploded remnants of war pose a serious threat to life in Syria. They are mainly divided into two groups. The first are unexploded ordnance (UXOs) such as cluster bombs, mortars and bombs.

Hassan Talfah, who is leading a group of White Helmets removing UXOs in northwestern Syria, explains that these devices are difficult to detect because they are often seen above ground.

The White Helmets say that, between 27 November and 3 January, they removed another 822 UXOs in northwestern Syria.

The main problem, Talfah says, lies in the second category of weapons – landmines. He explains that former government forces have planted hundreds of thousands of them across different areas of Syria – mostly in fields.

Most of the deaths recorded since the fall of the Assad regime have occurred on the old battle lines, according to the White Helmets. Most of those killed were men.

Mr. Talfah took us to two large fields where there were landmines. Our car followed his on a long, narrow and winding dirt road. It is the only safe way to reach the fields.

On the side of the road, children run around the whole area. Hassan tells us that he is from families who have recently returned. But the danger of mining surrounds them.

As we get out of the car, he points to a barrier in the distance.

“This was the last point to separate the areas under the control of the government forces from the opposition groups” in the province of Idlib, he tells us.

He added that Assad’s forces had planted thousands of landmines in fields across the border, to prevent the rebels from advancing.

The fields around where we are are once important fields. Today, they are all barren, with no green leaves, except for the green tips of the landmines we see through binoculars.

Without the technology to clear landmines, all the White Helmets can do at this point is blockade the fields, and put up signs on their borders to warn people.

They also spray paint warnings on the dirt and buildings at the edge of the fields. “Danger – landmines ahead,” it read.

They lead campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of entering infected countries.

On our way back, we met a farmer in his 30s who has recently returned. He tells us that some land belongs to his family.

“We couldn’t detect anything,” says Mohammed. “We used to plant wheat, barley, cumin and cotton. Now we can’t do anything. And as long as we can’t cultivate these fields, we will always be in financial trouble,” he adds, clearly lamenting.

The White Helmets say they have identified and sealed off 117 areas in less than a month.

They are not the only ones working on demining and UXO, but there seems to be little coordination between the efforts of different organizations.

There are no accurate statistics of areas with UXO or landmines. But international organizations, such as the Halo Trust, have drawn up virtual maps.

Halo Syria program manager Damian O’Brien says more research needs to be done for the country to understand the extent of the disease. It is estimated that nearly a million weapons may need to be destroyed to protect civilians in Syria.

“Any Syrian army may have landmines as a defensive measure,” Mr O’Brien said.

“In places like Homs and Hama, there are entire areas that have been almost completely destroyed. Anyone who enters the buildings to see, to demolish or rebuild them, must know that there may be unexploded ordnance inside. Whether it’s bullets, cluster munitions, bombs, bullets. “

The White Helmets found a treasure that will help in clearing the mines. In his office in the city of Idlib, Mr. Talfah shows us maps and documents left behind by government forces.

They show the location, numbers and types of mines planted in different fields in northwestern Syria.

“We will give these documents to the organizations that will work with landmines directly,” Talfah said.

But the local expertise currently available in Syria does not seem to be sufficient to deal with the dangers that unexploded ordnance poses to civilian lives.

Mr. O’Brien emphasizes that the international community should work together with the new government in Syria to improve the expertise in the country.

“What we need from donors is money, so that we can expand our skills, which means we can employ more people, buy more machines and work in more areas,” he said.

As far as Talfah is concerned, removing UXOs and informing them of their dangers has become a personal mission. 10 years ago, he lost his leg while removing a bomb that exploded.

He says that his injuries, and all the heartbreaking experiences he’s seen of children and civilians affected by UXOs, have only fueled his determination to continue working.

“I don’t want an ordinary person or any group to do what I have,” he says.

“I can’t describe how I feel when I remove a threat that threatens the lives of civilians.”

But until international and local efforts are made to eliminate the threat of landmines, the lives of many civilians, especially children, remain at risk.