Page 7 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Hadeel M. Al Shukri, Abdelaziz Dammak, Hashim Al-Ali: Measurement of the
Explosive Ordnance Impact on the Iraqi Economy

Iraq is contaminated with non-explosive materials, such as minefields, unexploded
ordnance, explosive devices and other remnants of war that have affected the daily
lives of individuals and communities as well as development and reconstruction
projects at all levels. The border with Iran, and the reason is the minefields planted
in the first Gulf War in the eighties, as well as the military actions of the years
1990-1991, and the various conflicts from 2003 onwards. In southern Iraq, there are
two clear threats: the old mines along the Iraqi-Iranian border, and new mines along
the Iraqi-Iranian border. The border with Saudi Arabia represents about (50%) of
mine victims ]UNMAS, 2011 [ .

Iraq has a large legacy of ammunition and explosive materials and extensive
contamination as a result of years of internal and external armed conflict, which made
Iraq at the highest levels of contamination (CO) of explosive remnants in the world,
and thus Iraq became a large field in which various types of land mines were planted
(anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines and napalm nests and others) ]DMA, 2017 [ .

It is believed that the beginning of laying landmines dates back to the forties, but it
was sporadic, as its impact on civilian life did not appear. It was limited, but its
dangerous consequences were very great for the citizens, and mine-laying operations
continued by both parties on roads, axes, agricultural lands, around water springs and
other places throughout the period of skirmishes that stopped from time to time and
continued again, and with the beginning of border skirmishes between Iraq and Iran
in (1969) The eastern borders were planted with large numbers of mines and along
the Iraqi-Iranian borders from Basra and towards the north, passing through Al-
Amarah, Khanaqin, Mandali, Badra and Zurbatiyah, and with the beginning of the
first Gulf War (1980) the number of planted landmines increased dramatically, as it
included large areas of Iraqi lands. And some Iranian lands, with the withdrawal of
the Iraqi army into Iraqi lands and the rush of Iranian forces, and as an attempt to
Stop these forces. Vast areas of Iraqi lands have been planted within the borders with
very large numbers of mines, especially in the areas of Basra, Amarah, Kut, Diyala,
Sulaymaniyah and other areas of northern Iraq. The history of wars has not witnessed
the planting of minefields with these numbers, which amounted to tens of millions,
and without regard to what these fields cause. As a result of material and human
losses in the future, the minefields extended from Ras Al-Bishah in southern Iraq,
then Al-Faw, Abu Al-Khasib, Al-Tanuma, Al-Shalamcheh, and to Al-Tayyib, up to
the meeting point of the Iraqi-Iranian-Turkish border.

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