In Pictures

Features|The Iraq War: 20 years on

War is over in Iraq, but it continues to claim victims

Unexploded ordnance in Iraq continues to maim and kill, years after the end of the war against ISIL.

The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Mohammad, a father of eight, asked Humanity & Inclusion for a risk education session. 'In the village, there are signs warning people to watch out for mines, but above all, there is a line all around our houses that we must not cross, as there have already been many accidents,' he said. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
By Martin Bertrand
Published On 5 Jun 2024

More than five years after the defeat of ISIL (ISIS) and decades of conflict, Iraq remains scarred by war.

A journey through the country is punctuated with checkpoints, with armed soldiers standing watch at every crossroads.

In Mosul, the country’s second city and former capital for the ISIL group, children play in the streets, men share tea and the shops are open.

In the still-destroyed old town, some ruined buildings bear the inscription “EV” followed by a number, while small red and white flags surround others.

They are suspected of containing remnants of war explosives. These are not conventional anti-personnel mines, but unexploded ordnance, mainly homemade mines ISIL used frequently.

In a spirit of revenge after its defeat, ISIL left behind a large quantity of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), even booby-trapping stuffed toys or fridge doors.

In the province of Nineveh, the bright little flags are everywhere along the roadside.

“This whole area was occupied by ISIL,” explains Hanin Mikdad, who supervises explosive ordnance risk education in Nineveh with Humanity & Inclusion, formerly Handicap International.

In Nineveh as in Mosul, ISIL had its experts manufacture a huge number of IEDs.

The handmade devices were fairly simple and easy to place around villages to prevent the inhabitants from fleeing the areas they occupied.

They also used these homemade mines to create a line of defence against the Iraqi forces.

According to Humanity & Inclusion – 8.5 million Iraqis live in an area contaminated by explosive remnants.

The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Sitting in the main room of their home, a family listens attentively to the team from HI to how to recognise explosive remnants and what to do about it. Khuder, right, had both his legs amputated five years ago. 'Our neighbour, a farmer, set off a mine when he was working in his field. I was here in the house when I heard the explosion. I ran straight away to help him. That's how I stepped on an explosive device and lost both my legs,' he said. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
A billboard warns and educates people about the risks of explosive remnants of war by HI and the Directorate of Mine Action, the Iraqi government's mine action agency, in Nineveh. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
There's nothing unusual about Khuder's story. When there is an explosion, coming to help is the most immediate reflex. But that's how one victim of an explosive remnant leads to another. After his accident, Khuder was treated at Mosul Hospital by a specialist doctor who fitted him with prostheses. Despite this, he says he is happy and content with his life, and that it has not changed much. He walks well and continues to live in his house, as before, with his wife, their five boys and three girls. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
A small red flag warning of the presence of mines in Nineveh. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Hanin Mikdad, left, supervises education on the risks of explosive remnants of war in the province of Nineveh. Eight-year-old Shaha, right, was the victim of a car accident in June 2020 when the car she was in ran over an explosive device that killed her father and injured her right arm and face. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Living surrounded by IEDs undermines economic activity, particularly agriculture. Families like Salih's each have their own herd, a few goats and sheep. Salih, 16, lives in the family house, speckled with bullet holes. 'We've only lived here for three years. Before that, this village was occupied by [ISIL]. At the time, we lived in the neighbouring village, but after the Peshmerga [Kurdish forces] drove ISIL out, we lived in a camp until the end of the liberation. We didn't have enough money to rebuild our old home, so we came to live in this cheap house close to the school.' [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Salih works as a shepherd to help support his family, while educating himself. He tends to his family's flock, but cannot do much else because explosive remnants restrict his movement. 'We just let the herd go off on its own and come back home, the animals know the way. They go to an area where there is a lot of grass to graze, but we can't get in. Many people have died there because of the explosive devices, until the government's Mine Action Directorate put up warning signs,' he said. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Warnings that explosive ordnance risks education are painted on the walls of a school. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Ahmed, 68, is a former farmer. He was in a car accident when he ran over an explosive device, losing his right leg and leaving his left foot severely damaged. On the right are ruined buildings in Mosul marked with 'EV' and a number indicating that explosive remnants may still be found inside. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Ahmed is treated during a rehabilitation session at a hospital in Mosul. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
A mine-clearing training session is conducted by HI near the village of Bashir In the province of Kirkuk, southern Iraq. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Each mine clearance stage follows well-defined procedures. Workers' health information - like health conditions and their blood type - are registered and the ambulance on duty for them has a doctor on board. There is regular training for the medical teams on how to handle emergencies. 'So far, we haven't had any accidents. Our work is governed by standards, and these are the same throughout [Humanity & Inclusion's] teams. We monitor the integrity of our actions, as we do in all de-mining sites,' says Hiwa Hamza, safety supervisor on the site. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]
The war in Iraq is over but it continues to claim victims
Explosive remnants are discovered and secured, waiting to be picked up by the Directorate of Mine Action. [Martin Bertrand/Al Jazeera]