The Syria Response Coordinators team emphasized that the lingering impact of war remnants, resulting from the bombardment by Syrian regime forces and Russia in northwestern Syria, remains a critical concern for civilians, particularly with the onset of winter. People began searching for primitive heating methods in agricultural lands due to the absence of projects for obtaining heating materials and a lack of tangible efforts by humanitarian organizations to initiate winter response operations in the region.
The team revealed that since the start of the year, 22 instances of unexploded ordnance from shelling have been documented, leading to the tragic death of six civilians, including two children, and injuring 34 others, among them 20 children and four women. Additionally, 11 mine explosions have been recorded, resulting in the loss of five lives, including three children, and causing injuries to several other civilians.
Expressing urgency, the team called on humanitarian organizations operating in the region to promptly provide heating material subsidies to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps and residential areas. This call is crucial to preventing further fatal accidents, especially considering that the majority of IDPs have not received heating materials this year, and last year’s response rate to heating materials was only 42.8%.
Furthermore, the team appealed to organizations specializing in the removal of war remnants to broaden the scope of field research across all areas, with a specific focus on the vicinity of camps and agricultural lands. This plea stems from the alarming statistics of the previous year, where 31 civilians lost their lives, including 16 children and two women, and 53 others were injured, including 34 children, due to the explosion of over 55 types of unexploded ordnance and mines in the region.
In a related incident, the White Helmets reported a child sustaining minor injuries following the explosion of a war remnants fire shell in the town of Taftanaz, east of Idleb, on Monday, November 13. The foundation highlighted that, from the beginning of 2023 until November 12, they documented 14 instances of war remnants explosions in northwestern Syria. These incidents resulted in the tragic loss of four children and two men, with 22 civilians sustaining injuries, including 15 children and three women.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
