Landmine toll rises: Family injured in Kurdistan’s Erbil

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, a landmine exploded in Erbil’s Soran district, Kurdistan Region, resulting in three injuries.

A man, woman, and child from Khurani village, located in the Dashti Herti subdistrict, were wounded after the landmine exploded while they were foraging for wild plants near Sidakan, a local source told Shafaq News.

Rescue teams provided initial medical aid at the scene before transporting the injured to Soran General Hospital. The source said their injuries vary in severity and may require further medical intervention.

In March, a landmine explosion killed one person in Erbil’s Rawanduz district.

In the Kurdistan Region, decades of conflict have left behind a legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Official statistics from the Ministry of Interior confirm that rural districts face recurring landmine incidents each year, with many casualties reported—often affecting children and families.

Landmines affect approximately 2,100 square kilometers of Iraqi territory—an area equal to nearly 300,000 football fields—according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).