Landmines Hinder Return of Displaced to Ramadi

Grande called on the international community to end the suffering of the displaced families of Ramadi at a time when the UN mission recorded that only a few hundred displaced people out of 250,000 families have returned.

Landmines are hindering the return of the displaced, particularly since most of the mined areas are civilian, not military areas.

Asma al-Ani, a member of the Anbar provincial council, told Al-Monitor, "The city of Ramadi has not been cleared yet because Iraq does not possess modern mine-clearing equipment." But Anbar Governor Sohaib Alrawi told Al-Monitor that he will soon contract a US company to clear the mines.

Ani said that the displaced must not return to Ramadi right now because their lives will be put in danger — which areas are mined and which are safe have not been specified yet. IS has booby-trapped everything, even electricity poles in the streets.

She added, "Ramadi needs an international effort to get rid of the landmines and to help the reconstruction, because Ramadi is now a city without the life necessities."

On April 5, Reuters quoted two US officials and an unidentified diplomat as saying that "a US de-mining company is removing explosives and training Iraqis to dismantle the devices planted by IS in the largest Iraqi city retaken from the militants.”