Arab News | Syrian demining worker killed, another injured as explosive remnants claim 14 lives since Oct. 14

ALEPPO, Syria: A member of Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management was killed and another injured on Wednesday while clearing explosive remnants of war in eastern Aleppo countryside, bringing the death toll from landmines and other unexploded ordnance across the country to at least 14 since October 14.

The ministry identified the deceased as Farouk Abadan, a member of its war remnants clearance and demining teams, who was killed while carrying out a clearance operation in the village of Al-Seen.

His colleague, Mustafa Al-Taha, was injured in the same operation, the ministry said in a statement mourning Abadan’s death and wishing the injured worker a speedy recovery.

Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al-Saleh said in a post on X that teams tasked with clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war faced significant challenges because of their widespread presence across Syria and the complexity of safely handling and disposing of them.

The latest casualties add to a growing toll from explosive remnants of the country’s civil war. At least 14 people have been killed and 17 injured in reported landmine and unexploded ordnance incidents between October 14 and November 11, according to figures from recent reports carried by SANA.

The victims include civilians, military personnel and children, highlighting the continuing danger posed by explosive devices left behind by the ousted regime, as well as the risks faced by teams working to remove them.

Civilians and children among the victims

A SANA roundup published on November 1 documented seven deaths and 11 injuries in six explosions involving landmines and unexploded ordnance across Hasakah, Hama, Daraa and Quneitra provinces between October 24 and 30.

Three children were among those killed, while several other children were wounded.

The incidents included a cluster munition explosion in Latamneh, northern Hama, that killed a six-year-old child and injured three others who were playing in a house garden. In western Hasakah, a landmine explosion near grain silos in Umm Al-Keif village killed one child and seriously injured two others.

Three young men were also killed and two people injured in a landmine explosion in Umm Zar village near Al-Shaddadi in Hasakah on October 27.

Other incidents involved a four-year-old boy killed while his family was harvesting olives in Halfaya, northern Hama, on October 26, and a young man killed by an unexploded cluster munition while grazing sheep in northern Quneitra on October 24.

Two children were also injured in a separate landmine explosion in Daraa’s Khirbet Ghazaleh area.

Military personnel and clearance teams also targeted

The danger has extended to Syrian military personnel involved in dismantling explosive devices.

On November 4, two Syrian Arab Army soldiers were killed when a landmine left behind by the ousted regime exploded in Daraa countryside.

Three days later, another soldier was killed and a second injured in a landmine blast while they were working to dismantle remnants of the former regime in the Al-Mayadin area of eastern Deir Ezzor countryside.

Earlier, on October 17, a member of the Military Engineering Administration was killed and another injured while clearing landmines and other remnants of war in the Al-Tanf area of eastern Homs countryside.

On October 14, a young man was seriously injured when a landmine exploded near an excavator he was operating on farmland between Otman and Dael in Daraa province.

The civilian toll also rose on November 3, when a landmine explosion in Al-Bukamal, eastern Deir Ezzor, killed two people and injured two others. The injured included a girl whose condition was being assessed after she was transferred to Deir Ezzor National Hospital.

A persistent threat to Syria’s recovery

Landmines, unexploded cluster munitions and other explosive remnants continue to threaten communities across Syria, particularly in agricultural areas where residents risk encountering buried or unexploded devices while cultivating their land, harvesting crops or grazing livestock.

The contamination also complicates efforts to restore normal life and facilitate the return of displaced families to their homes, as many communities remain exposed to hazards even after fighting has subsided.

Syrian authorities have continued clearance operations through engineering units and specialized teams from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management and the Ministry of Defense.

According to figures previously reported by SANA, Syrian Arab Army engineering units dismantled and destroyed more than 110,000 explosive objects across the country between the beginning of 2026 and April. The devices included landmines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ammunition.

The latest death of a demining worker underscores the dangers facing personnel tasked with making contaminated areas safe, as Syria continues efforts to remove explosive remnants and restore access to homes, farmland and public spaces.