2 Syrian soldiers injured in landmine explosion in Raqqa countryside

By Laith al-Junaidi and Ikram Kouachi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two soldiers from the Syrian army’s military engineering department were injured Wednesday, one of them seriously, while clearing landmines in the Ain Issa area in the countryside of Raqqa province.

The Defense Ministry’s Media and Communications Department told the official SANA news agency that the soldiers were injured when a mine left behind by the former regime exploded.

The explosion occurred as the soldiers were working to clear and dismantle landmines in the area, according to the same source.

Syrian authorities regularly report deaths and injuries caused by explosions from remnants of war left behind by the conflict waged by the regime of ousted President Bashar Assad against the Syrian people from 2011 to 2024.

The war killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people and caused massive destruction to infrastructure before opposition fighters entered Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024, leading to the fall of the Assad regime.

Relevant authorities and international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, continue field operations in several parts of Syria to detect mines and unexploded ordnance left by the war.

According to Landmine Monitor data, unexploded ordnance in Syria has killed or injured more than 13,000 people since 2011.

Ikrame Imane Kouachi