Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance Prevent the Return of IDPs

With the fall of the regime, the dangers of war remnants, including landmines and shells left behind by regime or opposition forces in former military contact zones in rural Idlib, Hama, Lattakia, and Aleppo are preventing many displaced people from returning to their homes and lands.

Between December 8, 2024 and January 10, 109 people have been killed due to the explosion of landmines and cluster munitions across 108 locations in Syria, according to the NGO Syria Response Coordinators team. One of the latest incidents involved the death of three civilians on January 7 in explosions caused by war remnants in the Talhiya and Afs areas east of Idlib.

These incidents occur almost daily, particularly in areas riddled with various types of landmines, Hassan Al-Hassan, a Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) official, told The Syria Report. Between December 8, 2024 and January 3, 2025, the Civil Defence identified 117 minefields and points with scattered mines across Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Lattakia, and Deir-ez-Zor. Warning signs and barriers were placed around these areas, and access to some was blocked.

In late December 2024, 40-year-old Anwar Al-Shayeb was killed by an anti-personnel mine planted on his land in the village of Jidar Maarat Mokhos, near Kafr Nubl, southern Idlib. Mr Al-Shayeb, a civilian, had returned to his olive grove after years of absence, as it had been along the regime-controlled frontlines. Abu Sobhi, his brother, stated that since Anwar’s death, he has refused to return to their devastated town and dangerous farmland, opting instead to stay in a displacement camp in Harim. Abu Sobhi described the landmines as being everywhere on his land, adding that entering the area is tantamount to “suicide.” He noted that Civil Defence teams surveyed the area and placed warning signs, but blamed regime forces for transforming it into a minefield with hidden and difficult-to-detect devices.

According to The Syria Report‘s correspondent in Idlib, some arms experts are working to dismantle landmines either individually or with support from opposition factions, though in an unorganised manner. Many of these experts received weapons and mine training during mandatory military service in the Syrian army before the 2011 revolution, or gained expertise within opposition factions. Some experts have been using a minesweeper left behind by regime forces to clear mines in agricultural lands around Saraqib.

Our correspondent also observed that anti-tank mines are visible to the naked eye and are scattered across agricultural areas marked with warning signs by Civil Defence in southern Idlib. He added that the road between Kafr Nubl and the town of Bara is littered with mines, as it was a former frontline area, with both opposition and regime forces responsible for planting them.

War remnants are categorised into three main types: unexploded ordnance, landmines, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which include a wide range of explosive devices, booby traps, and stored munitions. Civil Defence teams primarily deal with unexploded ordnance using appropriate equipment and trained personnel. However, landmines present a greater challenge, as only specific types can be handled, and even then, only under exceptional circumstances due to the specialised tools and training required. The third type, IEDs, is less widespread but difficult to detect and requires specialised handling.

Areas contaminated with war remnants can be divided into three zones based on density. The first, highly contaminated areas, includes all former frontlines and is the most dangerous, stretching from Jarabulus in northeast Syria to the Lattakia mountains in the west. The second, moderately contaminated areas, covers destroyed zones previously under regime control, such as Khan Sheikhoun, in the northern Hama countryside, and parts of the Homs and Deir-ez-Zor governorates. The third and least contaminated areas are those that did not witness intense military operations but still contain scattered ordnance or munitions depots.

The Civil Defence has destroyed thousands of unexploded munitions in the past years, including more than 23,000 cluster munitions. However, the Civil Defence lacks maps of minefields, and even if such maps existed, the task remains highly complex, according to Mr Al-Hassan. Some mines, such as booby-trapped mines, wire-triggered mines, and anti-tank mines, are particularly challenging to deal with.

Syria urgently requires a comprehensive survey and removal of war remnants. This critical and dangerous issue necessitates a national programme to ensure people’s safety and safeguard their housing, land, and property rights.