The UN Mine Action Service said 15,000 people have been killed or injured by explosive devices in Syria since 2015.
This is a “huge number”, said Habibulhaq Javed, who heads Syria’s UNMAS team. “Currently, Syria is reporting the highest number of victims caused by explosive ordnance globally.”
About 10.2 million people, or roughly half of all Syrians, live in areas contaminated with explosive devices, he added.
A lack of resources is depriving most of Syria’s towns and villages of vital mine clearance work, Habibulhaq pointed out.
In March 2011, the Arab Spring movement spread to Syria when civilians across the country began peacefully demonstrating against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
However, the protests turned violent following the massive crackdown by the regime forces.
At least 350,209 people have been killed in the decade-old war in Syria, the United Nations human rights office said in its first report since 2014 on the death toll, adding that the tally was an “undercount.”
