ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A landmine explosion inside a school courtyard in the province of Hasaka in northeastern Syria (Rojava) killed one child and injured 19 others on Wednesday, an official said, as the country continues to face deadly threats from unexploded war remnants.
Hasaka Health Director Kawa Khidir told Rudaw’s Nushin Heme that the explosion occurred inside the courtyard of the Muhdisa school in the town of Zirkan, about 35 kilometers northwest of the city of Hasaka.
"Due to the explosion of this landmine, a 12-year-old child lost his life on the spot and 19 people were injured, most of whom are children aged between 9 and 14," Khidir stated, noting that the injured have been transferred to hospitals in Tal Tamr and Hasaka to receive medical treatment. "The injuries of most of the wounded are in their legs, and medical teams are on standby to treat them."
State media Al-Akhbariya offered a slightly different account, reporting that a child was killed and nine others were injured when a war remnant exploded near the Abu Rasin school in the Tal Tamr.
The blast comes as Syria pushes to clear its territory of mines and unexploded artillery shells following nearly 14 years of civil war, which concluded with the ousting of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending 54 years of Assad family rule.
The hazard of unexploded ordnance continues to pose an ongoing challenge in Rojava even as the region navigates shifts in territorial control to interim authorities amid efforts to prepare for the returns of internally displaced persons.
A child was killed and two others were injured on Friday according to state media when a landmine exploded in Umm al-Keif village, north of Tel Tamer, in Hasaka countryside, five days after three children were injured in a landmine explosion near al-Aboush village in the Tel Tamer countryside while they were grazing sheep.
The UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Sunday that it documented "the killing of 278 people, including 111 children and 13 women, and the injury of 446 others, including 173 children and 15 women, resulting from the explosion of war-remnant objects and munitions since the beginning of 2026, bringing the total toll to 724 dead and injured during the first ten months of the year."
According to the monitor, "war remnants continue to pose a direct threat to the lives of civilians across various Syrian regions," with children accounting for roughly 39 percent of total casualties due to explosive ordnance remaining near residential communities, farmland, and grazing areas.
Areas controlled by the transitional government recorded the highest toll with 257 killed and 426 injured, while Rojava recorded 21 deaths and 20 injuries, SOHR said, adding that 16 people—including 14 children—were killed and 46 injured in October alone.
Warning that blasts also cause permanent disabilities, psychological trauma, and heavy burdens on families who lose breadwinners, SOHR renewed calls to intensify demining operations, mark contaminated zones, launch public awareness campaigns, and ensure medical and rehabilitative care for survivors.
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