173 civilians killed by landmines in Syria this year

BEIRUT: At least 173 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed in Syria by landmines and explosive remnants of war since the start of the year, a monitor said on Thursday.

Syria’s warring parties have all planted landmines in urban as well as rural areas since the conflict started in 2011. Across the country, more than 10 million people live in areas contaminated by explosive hazards, the United Nations says.

"Since early 2019, 173 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed by landmines and explosive remnants of war," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Of the victims, at least 40 have been killed while digging for truffles, the Britain-based monitor said.

"Every day civilians are losing their lives or being maimed for life due to landmines and unexploded ordnances," said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).