A member of Syria's demining teams has been killed and another injured while clearing explosive remnants of war in the eastern Aleppo countryside, as the toll from landmines and unexploded ordnance across the country continues to climb.

The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said the worker, Farouk Abadan, was killed on Wednesday during 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 and wishing the injured worker a speedy recovery.

Fourteenth death in a month

The latest casualties bring the death toll from landmines and other unexploded ordnance in Syria to at least 14 since 14 October, with 17 people injured in the same period, according to figures from recent reports carried by the state news agency SANA.

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

A dangerous task

Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed Al-Saleh said in a post on X that clearance teams faced significant challenges because of how widespread the devices are and how complex it is to handle and dispose of them safely.

Explosive devices left behind by the civil war remain scattered across farmland, roads and former front lines, and clearance teams work through them village by village, often with limited equipment. Demining is now one of the most urgent humanitarian tasks in Syria, with displaced families unable to return home safely until their land is checked. Source: Arab News