Project Masam’s Team 42 cleared 18,000 square metres of agricultural land north of Al-Makhazin village in Midi District, northern Hajjah Governorate, during August, removing more than 200 explosive hazards from land used by local farmers and herders.
Team 42 leader Engineer Abdulrahman Dhiab said the clearance operation resulted in the removal of five anti-personnel mines, 70 anti-tank mines, 12 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 122 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
The agricultural area, located north of the populated village of Al-Makhazin, had been heavily contaminated by landmines and other explosive hazards, preventing farmers and herders from safely accessing their land and carrying out their normal activities.
Dhiab said the contamination had posed a continuing threat to residents while preventing local communities from making use of agricultural land on which their livelihoods depend.
He said protecting civilians and enabling communities to resume their daily lives remain priorities for Project Masam’s teams, adding that survey and clearance operations would continue despite the risks and challenges faced by deminers working in the area.
Since Project Masam began operations in Midi District, its teams have removed approximately 13,000 landmines, items of UXO and IEDs and cleared millions of square metres of contaminated land, according to Dhiab.
Team 42’s work forms part of Project Masam’s continuing demining operations across Midi, where explosive contamination affects both populated areas and land used for agriculture and livestock grazing.
By clearing farmland around Al-Makhazin, the team is working to make the area safe for residents to return to their fields and resume agricultural and pastoral activities without the threat posed by landmines and other explosive hazards.
