Iraq
The people of Iraq have suffered from the effects of landmines and UXO since the Iran-Iraq war. Numerous instances of military action since then have led to the amplification of the problem. The most recent increase in landmine casualties, which were up a reported 90 percent in the Northern part of Iraq, occurred during the hostilities in 2003. Recent conflicts and more than a decade of sanctions have impaired the health care system’s ability to handle the various needs of landmine survivors.
Image: Northern Iraq: Probing the ground for landmines and other unexploded ordnance. Mine-free land has been handed back to landowners for agricultural and other civilian use. Reproduced courtesy of www.un.org
