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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately 4,800 square kilometers of land in Iraq remain contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, requiring up to 15 years to fully clear, according to a new report by the Green Iraq Observatory.
The organization, which focuses on environmental issues, said the affected area - equivalent to 1.1 percent of Iraq’s total landmass - has yet to be cleared and continues to pose risks to civilians, preventing land use primarily in agricultural regions.
Omar Abdul Latif, head of the Green Iraq Observatory, told Rudaw on Monday that “according to statistics obtained from government authorities, 4,800 square kilometers of Iraq's land area - excluding the Kurdistan Region - remains uncleared of mines or explosive remnants of war," adding that the largest portion of this land is located within the borders of southern Basra province.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance remain a persistent threat in parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
According to Abdul Latif, the contamination is largely a legacy of decades of conflict, including the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, the Second Gulf War, and the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
He noted that before the ISIS conflict spanning from 2014–2017, most contaminated areas were concentrated along Iraq’s borders with Iran and Kuwait. However, he said that after the war against ISIS, additional provinces were added to the list of affected areas.
“Following that conflict, Nineveh, Salahaddin, and Anbar also joined the list of provinces containing mined land and explosive remnants,” he said.
According to the observatory, part of the contaminated land is agricultural and remains unusable by its owners, raising concerns over long-term food security in affected regions.
“The inability to use agricultural land will have a negative impact on food security,” Latif warned, noting that clearing the remaining areas will take “between 10 to 15 years.”
Official figures from Iraq’s Ministry of Environment indicate that 62 percent of the roughly four billion square meters originally identified as contaminated have already been cleared since 2003.
Meanwhile, in the Kurdistan Region, the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency said progress has been made but significant challenges remain.
Jabbar Mustafa, head of the agency, told Rudaw on Sunday that out of 776 square kilometers of contaminated land in the region, 213 square kilometers await clearance, continuing to pose risks to civilians decades after the mines were first laid.
