Key developments since May 2002: In 2003,
Iraq underwent far-reaching political, military, and humanitarian changes. The
conflict beginning in March 2003 increased the threats to civilians from
landmines and unexploded ordnance, particularly abandoned Iraqi munitions and US
and UK cluster munition duds. Iraqi forces laid landmines in several regions.
The Humanitarian Operations Center has information on 317 minefields, 1,102
Coalition cluster munition strike sites, and 707 other UXO locations.
In mid-March 2003, the established mine action programs in northern Iraq
(with the exception of the Mines Advisory Group) were for the most part
suspended when conflict became imminent, but have since resumed and been
extended into new areas. Mine action programs were initiated for the first time
in southern Iraq after the main fighting ceased. The new United Nations Mine
Action Coordination Team is overseeing UN mine action programs in Iraq. Several
emergency survey and assessment projects were either planned or underway by June
2003 in various parts of Iraq. The United Nations appealed in March 2003 for
$20.4 million for mine action in Iraq, as part of a six-month emergency response
plan. Numerous countries have provided or promised funds for mine action, and
notably the European Commission announced in June 2003 a contribution of
€10 million.
In Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in 2002, there were 457 recorded
casualties due to mines or UXO; figures in Baghdad-controlled Iraq were unknown.
The casualty rate in northern Iraq increased dramatically—by 90 percent
according to the UN—during and after the 2003 hostilities.
Mine Ban Policy
Iraq has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. The
former government of Iraq did not make any statements on landmines or send
representatives to any international meetings related to landmines in 2002 or
2003. As a result of failure to pay dues, Iraq was ineligible to vote on the UN
General Assembly Resolution 57/74 promoting the Mine Ban Treaty in November
2002.
Since April 2003, there has not been an organized Iraqi governing body to
construct policy on the landmine issue. The occupying powers, the United States
(which is not a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty) and United Kingdom (which is
a State Party), had not stated a Coalition Provisional Authority position on
landmines as of June 2003.
Northern Iraq’s major political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party
and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, have both stated their support for the
principles of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[1] In August 2002, both
parties signed the Swiss NGO Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment not to use,
produce, or transfer antipersonnel
mines.[2]
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling
Iraq has produced antipersonnel landmines, though
it is not known how recently. Since the Coalition Provisional Authority’s
occupation of Iraq, any industrial production of mines that may have been taking
place has, presumably, ceased. Before the collapse of the former government,
Iraq was the only known mine exporter that had neither instituted an export ban
or moratorium, nor made a policy declaration of no current export. However, no
confirmed evidence has been found of Iraqi exports of landmines in recent years.
There is likely to be a very significant stockpile of antipersonnel mines in
Iraq.[3]
Before the war started on 20 March 2003, a covert US Army Special Forces unit
reportedly found a cache of landmines in a bunker at an Iraqi military base in
the western desert near Qaim. Some US analysts believed the mines were designed
to disperse liquid contents such as chemical or biological agents. However, the
mines were reportedly badly deteriorated and the composition of their contents
was not determined
definitively.[4]
Iraqi Use
In March 2003, reports emerged of Iraqi forces
laying mines around the northern city of
Kirkuk.[5] These were confirmed
after the Iraqi forces withdrew; antivehicle and antipersonnel landmines had
been laid in dense minefields along and between main roads near Kirkuk, and
around abandoned Iraqi military
posts.[6] Mines Advisory Group
(MAG) demining teams operating in Kirkuk found Valmara 69 antipersonnel bounding
fragmentation mines, PMN antipersonnel blast mines, and VS 1.6 antivehicle mines
laid extensively across nearly all routes and around strategic
points.[7] Mines were also
encountered on the roads between Erbil and the cities of Kirkuk, Guwer, Mosul,
and Makhmer.[8]
Antipersonnel landmines were found packed in bunkers near residential areas
of Kirkuk,[9] and MAG’s
Emergency Survey teams reported that Iraqi forces had left stockpiles of mines
and other munitions in civilian buildings inside and around Kirkuk that had been
used as military positions.[10]
In early April 2003, it was discovered that Iraqi forces had stored landmines
inside a mosque in Kadir Karam in northern Iraq and laid mines around the mosque
before abandoning it.[11] MAG
removed 1,077 antivehicle and antipersonnel mines from the
mosque.[12] Iraqi forces
reportedly mined water tanks in the town of Chamchomal after cutting off its
water supply, as part of widespread Iraqi mine-laying around villages in the
Mosul-Kirkuk area.[13]
British Royal Marines advancing towards Basra encountered freshly sown
antipersonnel minefields, and newly laid antivehicle mines also slowed their
progress.[14] Iraqi citizens in
Umm Qasr had to avoid landmines planted by retreating Iraqi forces in March
2003.[15] Iraqi forces were
reported in late March 2003 to have deployed landmines along access routes to
their positions around
Al-Nasiriyah.[16] British
troops near the southern Rumaila oilfields found mines and booby-traps left by
Iraqi forces.[17]
US troops entering Najaf in the last days of March encountered mines on roads
and bridges into the city.[18]
Landmines newly planted prior to the coalition attack were reported on the road
between Basra and Baghdad.[19]
According to a US State Department demining expert, most mines found were a
twenty-year-old design, largely imported from
Italy.[20] US explosive
clearance teams cleared at least 500 Italian-made antivehicle mines from the
road surface on a 1.3 kilometer span of the highway linking Baghdad and the
Baghdad airport, in early
April.[21]
Coalition Use
Prior to the conflict, the US Pentagon refused to
rule out landmine use in Iraq, saying on one occasion that American forces might
use mines to prevent access to suspected chemical weapons
sites.[22] By February 2003,
the US reportedly had stockpiled 90,000 antipersonnel mines in Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, and Saudi
Arabia.[23] Yet, there have
been no confirmed reports of use of antipersonnel mines by the United States or
other coalition forces during the conflict. US forces used command-detonated
Claymore directional fragmentation mines, which are permitted under the Mine Ban
Treaty.[24]
US and British use of cluster munitions in Iraq in 2003 littered the country
with tens of thousands of dangerous explosive “dud” bomblets.
British forces said they used some 66BL-755cluster bombs and
2,100 surface-launched cluster munitions; the US dropped nearly 1,500 cluster
bombs and likely used far more surface-launched cluster
munitions.[25] Each cluster
bomb or munition contains hundreds of submunitions. Coalition use of cluster
munitions has been confirmed in many populated areas throughout Iraq, including
Baghdad, Basra, Hillah, Kirkuk, Mosul, Nasiriyah, and other cities and towns.
Landmine Problem and Survey
Iraq’s landmine and unexploded ordnance
problem is a consequence of the Iraq-Iran War, two decades of internal conflict,
the 1991 Gulf War, and the 2003 conflict. According to MAG, estimates of the
total number of mines throughout Iraq vary between eight and twelve million, not
including the vast quantity of other explosive remnants of
war.[26]Much more is
known about the landmine problem in northern Iraq, where humanitarian mine
clearance programs have operated for the past decade, than in the rest of the
country.[27] The UN Office for
Project Services (UNOPS) reports that it completed a Landmine Impact Survey in
northern Iraq in 2002.[28]
The landmine situation has been exacerbated by the fresh laying of landmines
by Iraqi forces in 2003. This is particularly the case in the regions bordering
Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, and to a lesser extent in the southern and
central regions. The UXO threat, on the other hand, has become much more acute
throughout the country, including major cities, and particularly where US and
British forces used cluster munitions. Explosives and ammunition abandoned by
Iraqi forces are commonplace. MAG, in the north, and the USCommander of
the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group who is responsible for dealing with the
mine, UXO, and explosive ordnance problem in the south, as well as UN Mine
Action Service (UNMAS), have stated that abandoned explosive ordnance
constitutes the primary humanitarian threat to many communities as of mid-June
2003.[29]
In April 2003, the Humanitarian Operations Center, tasked with coordinating
the humanitarian response following the conflict, released a map showing general
locations of sites in Iraq known to be contaminated by mines, submunitions, or
other explosives. This map, which is regularly updated, is based on data
provided by the Coalition. As of May 2003, it contained references to 317
minefields, 1,102 Coalition cluster munition strike sites, and 707 other UXO
locations.[30] Several survey
and assessment projects were either planned or underway by June 2003 in various
parts of Iraq, striving to make up for a lack of contamination data on south and
central Iraq prior to March 2003.
An initial assessment conducted in early June 2003 by UNICEF and the Iraqi
Civil Defense Organization (CDO) in Baghdad found over 50 UXO-contaminated sites
in the 24 CDO districts of the
city.[31] To help plan its mine
risk education activities, UNICEF and CDO held a workshop to develop more
detailed methods for recognizing and recording UXO/mine-contaminated areas, and
improved survey methods for gathering victim
data.[32]
Iraqi refugees crossing over the Iran border were thought to be at particular
risk from mines, as the border region was heavily mined during the Iraq-Iran
War. This area has been largely off-limits to UN demining agencies in the past,
although MAG conducted demining there. UN Office for Project Services survey
teams started carrying out impact survey activities in the 5-kilometer zone
bordering Iran in northern Iraq in June
2003.[33]
The MAG and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) were conducting
an emergency survey of mines and UXO in northern Iraq as of mid-June 2003,
funded by UNMAS.[34] An
assessment in the south is to be done by MineTech
International.[35] MAG carried
out emergency contamination surveys in dozens of communities in the northern
areas around Mosul and Kirkuk in the weeks before mid-June 2003.
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
According to the US State Department, the
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has assumed responsibility for mine action
in Iraq under its mandate as set forth in UN Security Council Resolution 1483,
and has established the Iraq National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) and Iraq Mine
Action Center (IMAC) in Baghdad. A Regional Mine Action Center will also be
developed to coordinate and execute mine action in the north as the UN Oil for
Food Program mandate phases out after 21 November. A Regional MAC will be
developed in the Basra (southern) region in
2004.[36]
There has been extensive cooperation between the CPA, US and UK coalition
agencies, UN agencies, NGOs and other humanitarian agencies to confront the
complex mine-UXO problem in Iraq. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq
established mine action as a separate sector for humanitarian coordination as of
mid-March 2003.[37] The UN Mine
Action Service, supported by the UNICEF and UNOPS, leads UN mine action
planning. The UN mine action programs in Iraq are overseen by the Mine Action
Coordinating Team (MACT), which is divided into Area Mine Action Coordinating
Teams (AMACT) responsible for different parts of the country. The Basra-based
AMACT for south Iraq was operational by late May
2003;[38] it was established
with logistical assistance from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency.
The first meeting on mine action coordination in Iraq for the UN was held in
Amman, Jordan, on 12 March
2003.[39] On 9 May 2003, a
meeting was held in Larnaca, Cyprus, to discuss coordination of demining
agencies’ activities in Iraq, attended by representatives from Danish
Demining Group, Handicap International (HI), International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC), Intersos, MineTech, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), Swedish
Rescue Services Agency, Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, VVAF, World Food
Program, UNOPS and the MACT. The AMACT in Basra was to help determine the most
suitable areas to work for the organizations, most of which planned to enter
Iraq within two to six weeks of the
meeting.[40]
An Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) project to manage
relevant data was undertaken by the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian
Demining (GICHD) in cooperation with UNMAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology, and mine action personnel in the
field.[41] Coalition forces
agreed to continue to collect data in such a way as to be compatible with the
IMSMA format.[42]
By late May 2003, MAG was meeting with members of the Iraqi Civil Defense
Organization in the northern regions of previously Baghdad-controlled Iraq to
explore how to utilize their knowledge and clearance capacity. In the first
week of June, MAG met with the head of the Iraqi Civil Defence Explosive
Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit based in Mosul, which was part of the Iraqi fire
department prior to the 2003 war. The Civil Defense EOD team members have
extensive experience in disposal of bombs and other explosives. MAG assessed
the Iraqi team to have a good base for expanded training and capacity-building,
and judged its local connections, knowledge, and experience—going back to
the Iran-Iraq War—highly valuable. Consultations were ongoing as of June
2003.[43]
In the north, MAG met regularly to coordinate activities with the
Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC), while in the south, by late May 2003,
MAG was working closely with the Basra UN AMACT, the CMOC, and other mine action
organizations.[44] As of early
June, the UN Mine Action Coordination Team, MAG, and VVAF were meeting to
coordinate the mine impact emergency survey that began within the
month.[45]
In northern Iraq, the UNOPS Mine Action Program began functioning as the Area
Mine Action Coordination Team, in addition to its ongoing planning and
operational responsibilities. UNOPS reports that between 23 April and 15 May,
MAP re-established its full international presence in northern
Iraq.[46]
Mine Action Funding
Between 1998 and early 2003, approximately $125.5
million was invested in the Mine Action Program for northern Iraq by the UN
Office of the Iraq
Program.[47]These funds
came entirely from the UN Oil for Food Program. Additional funds were provided
directly to the two NGO demining organizations working in northern Iraq, MAG and
NPA.
In 2002, the UN program received $27.3 million. In 2003, funding is expected
to total approximately $35
million.[48] MAG received $3
million in 2002 for its activities in northern
Iraq.[49] The UN Oil For Food
Program is expected to end on 21 November 2003, as stipulated by UN Security
Council Resolution 1483. UNMAS, UNOPS and other affected UN mine action
agencies were working, as of June 2003, to develop plans to meld their northern
Iraq activities with those of the Mine Action Teams in the other regions of
Iraq.[50]
In March 2003, the US State Department’s Office of Humanitarian
Demining Programs discussed a $23.5 million three-year plan of mine action in
Iraq, dependent upon approval of
funding.[51] Implementation
will begin during September-December 2003 with the creation of a 110-man Iraqi
demining group with mine detection dog (MDD) capabilities to carry out mine/UXO
clearance in the central
region.[52]
The UK Department for International Development reported contributing £4
million ($6 million) to the UNMAS, £320,000 ($480,000) to UNICEF’s
mine risk education efforts, and £81,000 ($121,000) to MAG as of 16 May
2003.[53] The Netherlands
pledged €675,000
($641,000[54]) for mine
clearance to be carried out by MAG in northern
Iraq.[55] Canada contributed
nearly $3.6 million, earmarked for Iraq, to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for
Assistance in Mine Action.[56]
At a Mine Action Support Group (MASG) meeting in June 2003, representatives
discussed mine action funding in
Iraq.[57] Germany reported that
it allocated about $100,000 to HI for mine risk education programs in the
Baghdad area. Canada said it provided Can$5 million (US$3.6 million) “due
to the emerging situation.” The UK pledged to give £7 million ($10.5
million) to UNICEF, mostly for mine risk education programs. Italy has
earmarked €500,000 ($475,000) for Iraq mine action. Portugal has
contributed about €100,000 ($95,000) to UNICEF mine action programs.
Finland plans to give €200,000 ($190,000) to UNMAS programs. About $70
million of Japan’s $100 million funding of humanitarian assistance will go
to UNICEF, ICRC, and WFP, which perform various mine action activities.
On 5 June 2003, the European Commission announced a grant of €10
million ($9.5 million) to go toward mine-related humanitarian aid, including
mine risk education, mine location data gathering, and some mine and UXO
clearance.[58] The funds will
be distributed through the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid
Office.
In March 2003, the United Nations issued its Iraq Flash Appeal for six-month
emergency funding of $2.2 billion to cover a wide variety of humanitarian
assistance. As of May 2003, it had met 33.6 percent of its overall requested
funding, or $746 million.[59]
The appeal included $20.4 million for mine action to be undertaken by UNMAS,
UNDP UNICEF, and the World Food
Program.[60]
Specific contributions to UNMAS as of July totaled $11.5 million, including
$5.9 million from the UK, Canada’s $3.6 million to the UN Trust Fund,
about $1.2 million from Australia, about $215,000 from Finland, and about
$538,000 from Italy.[61]
Mine Clearance
Northern Iraq
Before the coalition occupation of Iraq, the only
coordinated mine action programs were in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. From
the start of 1997 to 2003, the northern Iraq Mine Action Program of UNOPS
cleared over 12 square kilometers of land in the three northern governorates,
encompassing 124 minefields. In that period, over 1,300 national deminers and
supervisors were trained and deployed in northern
Iraq.[62] Local Kurdish
demining NGOs were established in northern Iraq by mid-2002, and were carrying
out demining activities with UNOPS
support.[63] These NGOs
included Aras Demining Organization in Erbil governorate, Tiroj Demining
Organization in Dahuk governorate, and Pirmam Demining Organization and Bawajy
Demining Organization in Sulaymaniyah governorate.
In 2002, MAG conducted manual and mechanical mine clearance, explosive
ordnance disposal, survey, marking, mine risk education, and management and
support roles in northern Iraq. In 2002, MAG cleared 411,097 square meters and
reduced a total of 191,487 square meters. During these operations MAG destroyed
2,149 mines and 662 UXO. In the same period, MAG marked 10 minefields and
surveyed 22 minefields covering 640,161 square meters.[64]
In 2002, NPA deployed three manual demining teams, comprised of 24 deminers
each, in its mine action program in northern Iraq. The teams worked in the Mawat
subdistrict of Sharbazher district, Sulaymaniyah province. NPA conducted mine
clearance of high priority areas and urgent EOD tasks. In 2002, NPA teams
cleared a total of 44,446 square meters of land and destroyed 259 antipersonnel
mines, 23 antivehicle mines and 195 UXO in the
operations.[65] The Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded the program.
In the lead-up to the March 2003 war, the UN Mine Action Program withdrew all
international personnel from Iraq and suspended clearance activities, but
continued marking, risk education and victim
assistance.[66] MAG, with its
more than 700 Kurdish staff, remained active during the hostilities, as did
Kurdish military mine removal teams to a lesser
extent.[67] During the first
few months of 2003, MAG marked minefields along routes likely to be used by
refugees in northern Iraq.[68]
Post-March 2003 Iraq
It is unclear to what extent Iraqi forces engaged in mine clearance
activities in Baghdad-controlled Iraq before March 2003. According to MAG,
prior to the 2003 war the Iraqi Army was responsible for clearing landmines;
Civil Defense Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams removed aircraft bombs, cluster
submunitions, and projectiles; while a division of the secret police handled
booby-traps, car bombs, and such
devices.[69]
Prior to hostilities in Iraq, MAG positioned staff in Kuwait and Jordan,
enabling them to move quickly into southern Iraq to begin assessment activities
as soon as the security situation
allowed.[70] During the first
six months of 2003, MAG cleared a total of 194,930 square meters of land and
reduced 154,183 square meters, destroying 3,635 mines and 287 items of UXO.
During the same period MAG marked a total of 1,949,931 square meters.
Throughout the conflict MAG continued its mine risk education activities,
emergency demining and EOD activities while they expanded their operations into
former Government of Iraq areas as Kurdish and Coalition forces pushed south.
MAG reported removing 430,170 items of UXO and 14,055 mines and various types of
booby-traps from around Kirkuk and Mosul, from mid-April to 20 June 2003. From
April to the end of June 2003, working in the Mosul, Kirkuk, Erbil, and
Sulaymaniyah regions of northern Iraq, MAG cleared, or declared safe after
visual contamination search, roughly 3.9 square kilometers of
land.[71]
In mid-June 2003, MAG reported that it was still the only mine action agency
operating in the previously Baghdad-controlled northern governorates, aside from
coalition explosive disposal
teams.[72] MAG had established
a base of operations for southern Iraq in Basra by that
time.[73] Forty-four people are
expected to begin demining training at a school newly established by MAG at a
former military base in
Kirkuk.[74]
UNOPS reported that local NGOs had carried out UXO and mine clearance,
destruction, and land marking work in the three northern governorates of Dahuk,
Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah. From 18 March to 3 June 2003, these Mine Clearance
Teams (MCT) marked 68 minefields, encompassing 44 villages within over 4.5
million square meters of land. In the same period over 7,500 items of UXO were
recovered, including 88 antipersonnel
mines.[75] As of mid-2003, over
90 minefields were being cleared by UNOPS
teams.[76] UNOPS expects local
demining NGOs to take over all Mine Action Program capabilities by the third
quarter of 2003.[77]
In 2003, prior to the conflict, NPA continued to work in the same areas of
northern Iraq as in 2002.[78]
In addition, NPA conducted a leadership training course for deminers, in which
eleven women participated. In post-conflict 2003, NPA plans to double the
capacity of its mine action program. A recruitment process and training of new
deminers had started as of June 2003. Activities following the conflict
included a rapid emergency survey to assess living conditions and provide
information on basic humanitarian needs to aid agencies in and around Mawat.
NPA conducted mine risk education for 1,280 internally displaced families in
villages neighbouring Mawat. NPA set up a medical clinic inside its operation
base in Mawat and provided medical treatment to 324 cases through the base and
through its mobile teams. NPA deployed five multi-skilled teams to Halabjah to
conduct emergency mine action survey, marking of hazardous areas, urgent mine
clearance tasks, and EOD. The teams destroyed 110 items of UXO and 17 mines in
Halabjah.
NPA has established an office in Baghdad that serves as the headquarters for
the NPA southern division. In July 2003, it had four international staffs in
addition to local staff. NPA’s objective is to build up local capacities
within the Iraqi Civil Protection and to set up 4 EOD teams to deal with UXO and
abandoned munitions. NPA's southern division is funded by the Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NOK 13 million) and ECHO (€1 million). HI is
responsible for the MRE component of the
project.[79]
A team of some ninety explosive ordnance disposal experts from MineTech
International, based in Zimbabwe, were due to begin assessment, detection, and
clearance work in southern Iraq in the second half of May 2003. The company was
contracted by UNOPS as part of the UN’s Mine Action Rapid Response Plan
for Iraq, and arrived in Basra with the personnel, dogs, and tools to enable
them to carry out a three to six month demining
program.[80]
The Danish NGO, DanChurchAid (DCA), started to conduct emergency mine
clearance in the south in early June 2003, operating out of Basra with Action by
Churches Together (ACT). The program was initially funded by the two
organizations and the Danish government (DANIDA). On 1 July the program was
extended with a six-month €1.6 million grant from the European Union
(ECHO).[81]
The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (Fondation Suisse de Deminage, FSD) has
supported the World Food Program’s humanitarian efforts in Iraq since
mid-April 2003. Fifteen FSD experts train WFP personnel in mine and UXO
awareness, survey key WFP operation sites, and destroy mines and UXO on those
priority sites. It was expected that by late June 2003, 85 national bomb
disposal experts trained by the FSD would be actively supporting the activities
of the WFP. A delivery to the FSD of five armored cars, two armored trucks and
trailers, and armored excavators was expected to arrive at Basra in early June,
to facilitate mine clearance
operations.[82]
Deminers from the US State Department’s Mozambique-based Quick Reaction
Demining Force worked in Al-Hillah, where they had cleared over 27,600 square
meters of land of 922 mines and 92 UXO by the end of July, and near Baghdad,
where they had surface-cleared in excess of 1.1 million square meters and
destroyed over 1,200 UXO by the same date. In the process, the QRDF also
cleared several kilometers of downed power
lines.[83]
During and after the main military campaign, US and British forces deployed
mine and explosive ordnance disposal teams, which cleared some primarily
civilian areas and areas directly endangering coalition troops. The clearance
activities focused mainly on strike sites and Iraqi ammunition
stockpiles.[84]
Within the Iraqi Civil Defense Organization, certain members specialize in
explosive ordnance disposal, while also performing other duties, such as
firefighting. Since the 2003 conflict began, these EOD activities have focused
primarily on removal of cluster submunitions and other UXO. The US military has
been reluctant to share explosives necessary for mine/UXO destruction with CDO
members, as their training has been deemed generally
inadequate.[85]
Mine Risk Education
A variety of agencies have conducted Mine Risk
Education (MRE) activities. UNICEF is implementing a rapid response assessment,
to enable more effective targeting of MRE
activities.[86] Four MRE
television spots were under development in early
June.[87]
HI was conducting emergency MRE activities in Baghdad as of May
2003.[88] By mid-May HI and
UNICEF were producing materials for a planned distribution to teachers of 65,000
“school in a box” kits, containing 80 MRE leaflets
each.[89] By June, HI had been
appointed by UNICEF to conduct mine and UXO risk awareness activities for the
populations of Baghdad, Karbala, Hillah, Al Kut, Najaf, and Samawa. The HI team
distributed and displayed 100,000 leaflets and 25,000 posters, and encouraged
local newspapers to develop the risk education
program.[90]
Local NGOs supported by UNOPS conducted MRE programs for nearly 100,000
people in the northern governorates of Dahuk, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah from 18
March to 30 May 2003.[91] In
late May 2003, 29 MRE teams of the UNOPS-supported NGO Kurdistan Organization
for Mine Awareness were operating in the three northern
governorates.[92]
MAG reported in mid-April 2003 having distributed over the previous months
more than 200,000 MRE leaflets to people crossing into Kurdish-controlled
northern Iraq. In the latter half of May 2003, MAG carried out MRE activities
at nearly 40 schools for some 6,000 students and teachers in and around Kirkuk,
as well as providing MRE for local health department officials and other
authorities. In June, MAG continued to focus its MRE activities around Kirkuk
on schoolchildren and
teachers.[93] Well over 1,000
villagers near Mosul and between Mosul and Dahuk received MRE in the latter half
of May.[94] MAG, in cooperation
with the UN Area Mine Action Coordination Team, deployed three MRE teams for
three months in the south as of late May
2003.[95]
As of June 2003, MAG continued to develop networks in Iraq to disseminate MRE
messages, by meeting with teachers and school heads, religious figures, members
of the Red Crescent, local leaders, and Civil Defense Organization
figures.[96] In early June MAG
met with 21 municipality leaders to inform them of mine risks and enable them to
distribute MRE materials and accurately pass on mine/UXO-contaminated site
locations that they may
discover.[97] On 14 June, a
multi-day training course began in Basra for prospective Iraqi MRE
officers.[98] Around Mosul, MAG
was using Arabic-language banners to convey MRE messages and explanations of
MAG’s roles; also, a series of 15-minute programs on Mosul television were
planned.[99]
The US State Department’s Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs had
a program running by mid-March 2003 to produce “mine boards” in
cooperation with the Department of Defense as part of a short-term MRE
plan.[100]
The ICRC was conducting training as of June 2003 to volunteers of the Iraq
Red Crescent Society (IRCS) on how to conduct MRE activities for adults and
children. Posters and leaflets were being distributed to all southern Iraq IRCS
branches, and MRE radio spots were to be aired on local radio stations around
the country.[101]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2002, 457 new mine/UXO casualties were recorded
in northern Iraq. Casualty statistics are maintained by UNOPS and MAG. UNOPS
recorded 279 mine/UXO casualties in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, of which 17 people
were killed and 262 injured, including 111 children. Of these casualties, 117
were caused by landmines. UNOPS estimates that its casualty data represents 90
percent of new casualties in the three northern governorates of Iraq (including
Dohuk).[102] In the same
period, MAG recorded 32 new mine/UXO casualties in Kirkuk and Dohuk, of which
three people were killed and 29 injured, including 10 children. MAG also
recorded 96 new mine/UXO casualties in Sulaymaniyah, of which 22 people were
killed and 74 injured, including 20
children.[103]
In 2002, a deminer was killed and another five injured in mine clearance
accidents in northern
Iraq.[104]
Mines and UXO continue to inflict casualties in other regions of the country,
but information is limited. A German medical team attached to UNIKOM conducted
several evacuations of Iraqi civilians seriously injured by mines and UXO,
including ten people in the period 25 September 2001 to 20 March
2002,[105] seven people in the
period 21 March to 15 September
2002,[106] and three people in
the period 16 September 2002 to 21 March
2003.[107]
In 2001, UNOPS reported that UXO and mine explosions caused an average of 30
casualties per month,[108] while
MAG recorded 201 people killed or injured in mine/UXO incidents in northern
Iraq,[109] and at least 21
people were killed or injured in mine/UXO incidents in other regions of the
country.[110]
The mine/UXO casualty rate in northern Iraq has risen considerably in 2003.
UNOPS reported that the number of mine and UXO casualties during March and April
2003 increased by 90 percent compared with the same period in
2002.[111] In the five months
to the end of May, 493 new mine/UXO casualties were reported; 42 people were
killed and 451 injured. The majority of casualties were children (53 percent),
and Kirkuk recorded the highest number of casualties; 22 people were killed and
338 injured.[112]
There is no comprehensive or reliable information available on mine/UXO
casualties in the south of Iraq in 2003. However, according to a member of the
British Royal Engineers, around five people each week are being killed or
injured in Basra alone by UXO since the end of
April.[113] Since June, the UN
MACT has established a mine/UXO casualty monitoring system through 82 public
health centers in the Basra
governorate.[114]
In April, an Iranian BBC cameraman was killed when he stepped on a landmine
in Kifri; a BBC producer lost his foot in the same
incident.[115]
Between mid-March and the end of May 2003, at least five US soldiers were
killed and 21 injured in mine, cluster bomb and UXO incidents in Iraq; and two
British soldiers were killed in separate UXO and landmine incidents in March and
May, one of which occurred during an EOD
operation.[116]
During the 1991 Gulf War, landmines, UXO and cluster munitions killed 34 US
servicemen and injured 143 others, or 13 percent of all casualties; at least 81
casualties were caused by
landmines.[117]
Between 1991 and 2000, 10,997 mine/UXO casualties were reported in six
governorates of northern Iraq; 3,697 people were killed and 7,300
injured.[118]
Survivor Assistance
The health system in Iraq was once among the best
in the Middle East region; however, conflict and more than a decade of economic
sanctions have seriously impacted on the quality of care available. Medical
facilities are reportedly inadequate to treat the injured and sick. Some health
facilities lack running water and constant electricity supplies, equipment has
not been properly maintained, and there is a lack of well-trained and
experienced health care
workers.[119]
Since 1999, the ICRC has completed rehabilitation work on ten hospitals and
23 primary health care centers as part of its integrated medical-emergency
program. Two hospitals and eight health care centers were renovated in 2002;
work was still in progress at three other
centers.[120]
In 2002, the ICRC provided support to six government-run prosthetic/orthotic
centers located in Baghdad (4), Basra and Najef, as well as to the Iraqi Red
Crescent/Norwegian Red Cross-supported centers in Mosul and Erbil. Facilities
at the center in Erbil were upgraded during the year. Training courses for
prosthetic/orthotic technicians were also organized for Iraqi
staff.[121] In 2002, these
centers manufactured 2,405 prostheses, of which 1,160 were for mine survivors;
1,635 orthoses, of which three were for mine survivors; and distributed 1,276
pairs of crutches and 24
wheelchairs.[122] During 2002,
ICRC staff visited northern Iraq and identified a need for the renovation of
four prosthetics centers in the region, and also renovation of the center in
Basra.[123]
In 2002, the UNDP implemented a “Community Based Rehabilitation for the
Disabled” project in Iraq to create employment opportunities for people
with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups. As of June 2002, more than
400 micro-credit programs had been started. The Ministry of Labor and Social
Welfare established a National Fund for Micro-finance to supported persons with
disabilities.[124] It is not
known if any mine survivors benefited from this program.
In northern Iraq, the UNOPS Victim Assistance Program is integrated into the
MAP and provides a network of services to mine/UXO survivors, including support
for four prosthetic/orthotic centers (Dohuk, Diana, Halabja, and Sulaymaniyah),
seven orthopedic outreach centers, three rehabilitation centers, two emergency
surgical hospitals, and 20 first-aid posts; all of these have received funding
under the Oil for Food program. The aim of the program is to provide
comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation for mine/UXO survivors and other
persons with disabilities. UNOPS considers the prosthetic and surgical centers
are sufficient to meet the needs of survivors. The construction of a
rehabilitation and vocational training center in Diana was completed, and the
construction of another center in Dohuk is in its final
stages.[125] Since the program
started in 1997, over 300,000 services ranging from medical treatment,
prostheses, and rehabilitation, have been provided to mine/UXO
survivors.[126] Over 60 percent
of employees working in the rehabilitation centers have a disability. In 2002,
a total of 1,305 prostheses were
provided,[127] of which about
795 were for landmine amputees. The UNOPS Victim Assistance Program assists
5,000 to 6,000 people each year at an annual cost of around US$4 million and
approximately 927 national staff are employed in all funded programs. From 1
January to 31 May 2003, the UNOPS network assisted over 1,500 new patients,
produced over 560 prostheses and orthoses, provided over 13,400 physiotherapy
treatments, and recorded 27,800 out-patient
visits.[128]
Under the UNOPS program, mine survivors receive vocational training in
various skills including shoemaking, carpentry, and tailoring, for six months
after the fitting of prostheses to improve their opportunities for gaining
employment.[129]
The Italian NGO Emergency runs the Surgical Hospital for Civilian War Victims
in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and provides services at the 20 first-aid posts
throughout northern Iraq. In 2002, 2,231 patients received surgical treatment,
including 117 landmine casualties. The facility at Sulaymaniyah also provided
rehabilitation services, including the fitting of 512 prostheses and
distribution of 118 crutches. Emergency is co-implementing rehabilitation and
vocational training services with the Dohuk and Diana prosthetic limb
centers.[130]
Handicap International Belgium (HIB) runs two orthopedic centers in
Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, and two satellite units in Penjwen and Kalar. In
2002, the centers produced and distributed 653 walking aids and 568 prostheses.
In addition, 1,955 physiotherapy sessions were held at the centers. Social
workers are available to provide psychosocial support to aid in the
reintegration of persons with disability into their community. HIB also
assisted in the training of seven prosthetic technicians and four assistants.
Brochures were distributed and magazines published, cultural and artistic events
were held, and exhibitions were organized. A total of 22 television and radio
programs were broadcast in order to raise awareness about people with
disabilities.[131]
The Norwegian Red Cross supports two prosthetic centers in the cities of
Erbil and Mosul and in 2002, 1,479 patients received physical rehabilitation,
including 546 landmine survivors. The centers distributed 930 lower limb
prostheses, 506 crutches and 24 wheelchairs, and repaired 268 prostheses. The
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Red Cross financially
support the centers.[132]
The Norwegian NGO, Trauma Care Foundation (TMC), runs a program training
local health care workers in emergency first aid. A study in 2001 carried out
by TMC in northern Iraq found that 70 percent of mine survivors suffered chronic
pain long after the mine incident. The TMC encouraged mine survivors and their
families to establish self-help groups that were then able to access
income-generating programs. It was found that for many of the survivors in the
study their pain problems were alleviated once they were earning an income to
support their families. The training manual, Save Lives, Save Limbs will
be distributed in the Kurdish language in
2003.[133] The Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs funds the program.
The Ministry of Public Health in Sulaymaniyah, the Dutch NGO ACORN, the Rozh
Society for Disabled People, the Helena Center, and the Handicapped Union (local
NGOs) are also engaged in the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in
northern Iraq.
In June 2003, it was reported that the role of victim assistance in the UN
MACT would be reviewed. Issues to be considered included mine casualty
reporting; planning of national victim assistance services, and the UN policy on
mine action and victim
assistance.[134]
[1] Letter to UN Secretary-General from
Masoud Barzani, President of the KDP, 3 October 1999; letter to UN
Secretary-General from Jalal Talabani, PUK General Secretary, 26 January
2000. [2] Geneva Call, “NSA
Newsletter,” June 2003, p. 4. The deputy head of the PUK, Adnan Mufti,
signed the deed after some amendments. “Kurdish PUK-led government signs
mine-banning treaty,” Al-Sulaymaniyah Kurdistani Nuwe, 11 August
2002. [3] In addition to its own
production, Iraq has obtained mines from Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt,
France, Italy, Romania, Singapore, the former Soviet Union, and the United
States. See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
931. [4] Barton Gellman, “Covert
Unit Hunted for Iraqi Arms,” Washington Post, 13 June
2003. [5] “U.S. and Britain
Struggle to Find Iraq Consensus,” Reuters, 11 March 2003; “Iraqi
forces litter northern front with landmines,” Agence France Presse, 19
March 2003. [6] Mines Advisory Group
(MAG), “MAG in Iraq—First in, last out,” ReliefWeb, 19 April
2003. [7]
Ibid. [8] Muhy-al-Din Qadr, “Over
1,000 mines removed from just three liberated areas,” Iraqi Kurdistan
Democratic Party newspaper Brayati, 26 April 2003. Text republished by BBC,
“Over 1,000 mines removed in April—Kurdish paper,” 28 April
2003. [9] Michael Howard,
“Fighting is over but the deaths go on,” Guardian (UK newspaper), 28
April 2003. [10] MAG, “First in,
last out,” ReliefWeb, 19 April 2003.
[11] Human Rights Watch press release,
“Iraqi Mines Found in Mosque,” 2 April 2003.
[12] Michael Holden, “Iraqis face
‘horrendous’ mine legacy,” Reuters, 3 April 2003.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Tim Butcher, “Marines plan
the siege of Basra,” Daily Telegraph (UK newspaper), 31 March 2003.
[15] Lawrence M. O’Rourke,
“Conflict with Iraq: Fedayeen could pose lingering threat, aid worker
says,” Naples Daily News, 5 April 2003.
[16] IRAQWAR.RU, Venik’s Aviation
translated report based on Russian military intelligence report, 25 March 2003.
[17] Lindsay Taylor, “Basra and
Baghdad,” Channel 4 News (UK), 25 March
2003. [18] Reported by the New York
Times, mentioned in “Iraq Stored Land mines in Mosque,” Reuters, 3
April 2003. [19] “US Landmine
Experts Begin Removal Work in Iraq,” Voice of America, 24 May
2003. [20]
Ibid. [21] “US forces clear mines
from road linking airport to Baghdad,” Agence France Presse, 11 April
2003. [22] US Department of Defense,
“Background Briefing On Targeting,” 5 March
2003. [23] Alexander G. Higgins,
“Campaigners fear use of land mines in Iraq,” Associated Press, 6
February 2003. [24] US Central Command,
“CENTCOM Operation Iraqi Freedom Briefing,” 31 March 2003.
[25] See Human Rights Watch press
release, “Iraq: Clusters Info Needed from US, UK,” 29 April
2003. [26] MAG, “Iraq
factsheet—an overview,” ReliefWeb, 20 January 2003.
[27] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
pp. 841-842. [28] Email to Landmine
Monitor (HRW) from Charles Downs, Division Chief, Mine Action Unit, UN Office
for Project Services (UNOPS), 24 July
2003. [29] UN Mine Action Service
(UNMAS), “UNMAS Update on Iraq,” 14 May 2003; Mine Action Support
Group (MASG) Newsletter, June 2003, Annex 5, p.
17. [30] Data provided to Human Rights
Watch by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the Humanitarian Operations
Center, Kuwait City, May 2003. [31]
MASG, “Newsletter: June 2003,” Annex 5, p.
25. [32]
Ibid. [33] UNOPS, “Iraq: UNOPS-MAP
Situation Report 6 June 2003,” ReliefWeb, 6 June 2003.
[34] MAG, “Iraq Update –
Week Ending 13 June 2003.” [35]
UNMAS, “Update on Iraq,” 22 May 2003.
[36] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW)
from Tom Seal, Deputy Director PM/HDP, US Department of State, 1 August 2003.
28 Iraqi government employees comprising the indigenous staff of the NMAA
completed the Cranfield University Senior Mine Action Managers Course at the end
of July 2003. Another 18 government workers who are IMAC staff have completed
their initial IMSMA training and have begun to populate the national mine/UXO
threat database. [37] UNMAS,
“Update on Iraq,” 14 March
2003. [38] UNMAS, “Update on
Iraq,” 22 May 2003. [39] UNMAS,
“Update on Iraq,” 14 March
2003. [40]
Ibid. [41] GICHD, “Update on
Activities Between January and March
2003.” [42] UNMAS, “Update
on Iraq,” 22 May 2003. [43] MAG,
“Iraq Update,” 6 June
2003. [44] MAG, “Iraq
Update,” 30 May 2003. [45] MASG,
“Newsletter: June 2003,” Annex 5, p.
18. [46] Email from Charles Downs,
UNOPS, 24 July 2003. [47] Email from
Charles Downs, UNOPS, 24 July 2003; UN Office of the Iraq Oil-for-Food Program,
“Landmine Mapping and Clearance,” no date given.
[48] Email from Charles Downs, UNOPS,
24 July 2003. [49] Email to Landmine
Monitor (HRW) from Tim Carstairs, Director for Policy, Mines Advisory Group
(MAG), 22 July 2003. [50] MASG,
“Newsletter: June
2003.” [51] US Department of
State, “Humanitarian Mine Action Subgroup Minutes of March 13,
2003,” 8 April 2003. [52] Email
from Tom Seal, US Department of State, 1 August
2003. [53] Department for International
Development (UK), “DFID Iraq Update No. 31,” ReliefWeb, 16 May
2003. [54] All monetary conversions
based on Federal Reserve, "List of Exchange Rates (Annual)," 6 January 2003,
unless otherwise noted. [55] Government
of the Netherlands, “The Netherlands gives €1.7 million extra for
humanitarian aid in Iraq,” ReliefWeb, 6 June 2003.
[56] MASG, “Newsletter: June
2003.” [57] Ibid, Annex 1, pp.
4-5. [58] European Commission External
Relations, “Iraq: Commission grants EUR 10 million to combat
landmines,” 5 June 2003. [59] UN,
“Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals: Mid-Year Review Status Report
2003,” May 2003, pp. 4, 7. This report indicates the US, UK, and EC
provided nearly 60 percent of pledged and received resources to the Consolidated
Appeals Process for UN and various NGO humanitarian programs by mid-year 2003.
Most funding contributions were not directed toward specific programs of action,
but rather toward specific humanitarian agencies. Humanitarian assistance for
Iraq outside of the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal system accounted for
some $308 million as of mid-June 2003. See, UN, “Table IV: Additional
Humanitarian Assistance to Iraq Crisis 2003 outside of the framework of the UN
Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal,” 12 June
2003. [60] UNMAS, “Consolidated
Mine Action Requirements from Iraq Flash Appeal,” 15 May
2003. [61] Email from Charles Downs,
UNOPS, 24 July 2003; UN, “United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal
for Iraq Crisis 2003: Donor breakdown of contributions by project,
sector,” 12 June 2003. [62]
UNOPS Appendices Contribution to Landmine Monitor Report
2003. [63] UN Office of the Iraq
Oil-for-Food Program, “Landmine Mapping and Clearance,” (undated).
[64] Email from Tim Carstairs, MAG, 22
July 2003; MAG Iraq, Activities Summary, faxed to Landmine Monitor (NPA) on 20
June 2003. For MAG, reduction of minefields means that a portion of the area
thought to be mined is re-surveyed, and exploratory breaches are employed to
help verify if areas are mined. If the land is safe, it will be
“reduced” without formal clearance taking place. The entire process
is clearly documented and fully agreed with the local community and
authorities. [65] This information on
NPA is compiled from “NPA Quarterly Report, First Quarter 2003;”
email from Sherko H. Rashid, Program Manager, Iraq Mine Action Program, NPA, 29
June 2003. [66] Email from Charles
Downs, UNOPS, 24 July 2003; UNOPS Appendices Contribution to Landmine Monitor
Report 2003. [67] MAG,
“Iraq-factsheet—an overview,” ReliefWeb, 20 January 2003.
[68] MAG, “First in, last
out,” ReliefWeb, 19 April
2003. [69] MAG, “Iraq
Update,” 6 June 2003. [70]
“Summary of MAG Achievements in Iraq March-May 2003,” emailed to
Landmine Monitor (NPA) from Tim Carstairs, MAG, 20 June
2003. [71] Email from Tim Carstairs,
MAG, 22 July 2003. [72] MAG, “Iraq
Update,” 13 June 2003. [73]
Ibid. [74]
Ibid. [75] UNOPS, “Iraq: UNOPS-MAP
Situation Report 6 June 2003,” ReliefWeb, 6 June 2003.
[76] UNOPS, Landmine Monitor Report
2003 appendices contribution. [77]
Ibid. [78] This information on NPA is
compiled from “NPA Quarterly Report, First Quarter 2003;” email from
Sherko H. Rashid, Iraq Mine Action Program, NPA, 29 June
2003. [79] Email from Erik Tollefsen,
Technical Advisor MA, NPA Oslo, 28 June
2003. [80] MineTech International,
“UN Deploys Rapid Response Mine Action Force to Iraq,” 20 May 2003.
[81] Email to LandmineMonitor (HRW)
from Lennart Skov-Hansen, DCA, 21 July
2003. [82] FSD, “The Swiss
Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) organizes an important delivery of heavy-duty
armored demining machinery and vehicles to the airport of Basra on the
4.6.2003,” ReliefWeb, 30 May 2003.
[83] Email from Tom Seal, US Department
of State, 1 August 2003. [84] Email from
Charles Downs, UNOPS, 24 July 2003. [85]
Landmine Monitor (HRW) interview with Bonnie Docherty, Human Rights Watch
researcher, 11 July 2003. Docherty conducted a mission to Iraq in May
2003. [86] Email from Charles Downs,
UNOPS, 24 July 2003. [87] Ibid; MASG,
“Newsletter: June 2003,” Annex 5, p.
25-26. [88] UNMAS, “Update on
Iraq,” 22 May 2003. [89] UNMAS,
“Update on Iraq,” 14 May
2003. [90] HI, “Handicap
International takes the first steps to help the victims of war and peace,”
ReliefWeb, 22 May 2003. [91] UNOPS,
“Iraq: UNOPS-MAP Situation Report 6 June 2003,” ReliefWeb, 6 June
2003. [92] Ibid.
[93] MAG, “Iraq Update,” 13
June 2003. [94] MAG, “Iraq
Update,” 23 May 2003 and 30 May
2003. [95] UNMAS, “Update on
Iraq,” 22 May 2003. [96] MAG,
“Iraq Update,” 13 June
2003. [97]
Ibid. [98]
Ibid. [99] MAG, “Iraq
Update,” 13 June 2003. [100] US
Department of State, “Humanitarian Mine Action Subgroup Minutes of March
13, 2003,” 8 April 2003. [101]
ICRC, “Iraq bulletin—6 June 2003,” 6 June 2003.
[102] Email to Landmine Monitor (HIB)
from Ibrahim Baba-Ali, Mine Victim Assistance Manager, UNOPS Mine Action
Program, Erbil, 24 June 2003. Data is based on casualties admitted to the two
Emergency Surgical Hospitals. Children are classified as 18-years-old and
under. [103] Email from Tim Carstairs,
MAG, 22 July 2003; MAG-Iraq, “Mines & UXO’s Victims Statistics:
January 1991–May 2003,” fax from Tim Carstairs, MAG, 20 June 2003.
MAG does not collect data from the Emergency Surgical Hospital in Sulaymaniyah.
MAG recorded 45 casualties in Erbil but these statistics have not been included
in the total of new casualties in 2002.
[104] Email from Ibrahim Baba-Ali,
UNOPS Mine Action Program, 24 June
2003. [105] Report of the UN
Secretary-General on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (for the period 25
September 2001 to 20 March 2002), S/2002/323, 28 March 2002, p.
3. [106] Report of the UN
Secretary-General on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (for the period 21
March to 15 September 2002), S/2002/1039, 18 September 2002, p.
2. [107] Report of the UN
Secretary-General on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (for the period 16
September 2002 to 21 March 2003), S/2003/393, 31 March 2003, p.
3. [108] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 846. [109] MAG-Iraq,
“Mines & UXO’s Victims Statistics: January 1991–May
2003,” 20 June 2003. [110] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
672-673. [111] “UN Update on
Iraq,” email from Richard Kollodge, UNMAS, 15 May
2003. [112] MAG-Iraq, “Mines &
UXO’s Victims Statistics: January 1991 – May 2003,” 20 June
2003. [113] Andrew Marshall, “UK
troops lecture Iraqi pupils on unexploded bombs,” Reuters, 17 May
2003. [114] UN Update on Iraq, email
from Richard Kollodge, UNMAS, 12 June
2003. [115] “BBC cameraman killed
by landmine in Iraq,” Reuters, 2 April 2003.
[116] Landmine Monitor analysis of ten
media reports for the period: 19 March-7 June
2003. [117] “Military Operations:
Information on U.S. Use of Land Mines in the Persian Gulf War,”
GAO-02-1003, United States General Accounting Office, September 2002, pp.
14-16. [118] MAG-Iraq, “Mines
& UXO’s Victims Statistics: January 1991–May 2003,”20 June
2003. [119] “Briefing Note on the
Potential Impact of Conflict on Health in Iraq: March 2003,” World Health
Organization, 20 March 2003, pp. 8-11, available at
www.who.int/disasters/repo/9141.pdf
(accessed 21 June 2003); see also ICRC, “Annual Report 2002,”
Geneva, June 2003, p. 298. [120] ICRC,
“Annual Report 2002,” p.
298. [121] Ibid, p.
299. [122] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Program, “Annual Report
2002.” [123] ICRC, “Annual
Report 2002,” p. 299. [124]
“The UNDP in Iraq: A Fact Sheet,” available at
www.undp.org/dpa/journalists/UNDP_in_Iraq.pdf
(accessed 21 June 2003). [125] Email
from Ibrahim Baba-Ali, UNOPS Mine Action Program, 24 June
2003. [126] UNOPS, “Mine Action
Programme, Northern Iraq: Fact Sheet,” 8 April
2003. [127] Further information on two
of the centers providing this total number of prostheses is included below in
the reports on activities of the NGOs Emergency (Suleymaniya) and Handicap
International Belgium (Halabja). [128]
Email from Ibrahim Baba-Ali, UNOPS Mine Action Program, 24 June
2003. [129] “Widespread landmines
pose danger to returnees,” UN OCHA Integrated Regional Information
Network, 12 June 2003, available at
www.reliefweb.int (accessed 21 June
2003). [130] Donatella Farese, Desk
Officer for Iraq, Emergency, response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire, 11
March 2003. [131] Handicap International
Belgium, “Activity Report 2002,” p.
21. [132] Email and response to Landmine
Monitor questionnaire from Ole Trapness, Coordinator External Resources,
Norwegian Red Cross, 2 June 2003. The statistics for these two centers are
included in the total ICRC statistics for
Iraq. [133] Dr. Torben Wisborg, Trauma
Care Foundation, presentation to the Standing Committee on Socio-Economic
Reintegration, Geneva, 13 May 2003; Trauma Care Foundation, Tromsoe Mine Victim
Resource Center, “Annual Report 2002,” pp.
7-8. [134] “UN Update on
Iraq,” email from Richard Kollodge, UNMAS, 20 June 2003.