Project Masam has cleared dozens of explosive items from a contaminated area in Taiz Governorate following an incident in which a child was seriously injured by unexploded ordnance while herding sheep in Al-Majaliya Al-Gharbiya, Al-Qahirah District, in Yemen’s embattled Taiz region.<\/p>\n
Engineer Mohammed Ali Al-Sharabi, leader of Project Masam’s demining Team 22, said the team was deployed after receiving a report from Project Masam\u2019s operations department regarding the explosion of an unexploded device, which injured 10-year-old Khaled Waleed Qassem.<\/p>\n
Al-Sharabi explained that the child had been tending sheep in a mountainous area of Al-Majaliya Al-Gharbiya when he came across a suspicious object and began handling it, causing it to explode and inflict serious injuries. The child was later transferred to hospital for treatment.<\/p>\n
He added that the team conducted an initial survey and gathered field data<\/a> from the area, which indicated that previous explosions in the same field had caused casualties among children and women, including deaths and injuries.<\/p>\n Al-Sharabi confirmed that the team has been operating in the area for eight days and has so far cleared approximately 2,500 square metres of land. During the operation, the team discovered and removed five unexploded shells, 12 fuses, and 23 rounds of assorted ammunition. Clearance operations are still ongoing.<\/p>\n He explained that the field is particularly important to local residents because of its proximity to homes, some of which are located within the contaminated area<\/a>. The land is also used for agriculture and livestock grazing and serves as a recreational area for families and children during the afternoons.<\/p>\n In a related context, Al-Sharabi said Project Masam Team 22 had also carried out clearance operations in recent months in the Al-Jahmaliyah area of Salah District in Taiz. These operations covered the area surrounding the Security Department<\/a>, as well as several residential houses and neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n He noted that during those operations, the team discovered seven banned anti-personnel mines, two unexploded shells, one improvised explosive device (IED), in addition to a number of fuses and rounds of ammunition.<\/p>\n Al-Sharabi confirmed that the cleared locations included homes and courtyards whose residents had previously been unable to return because of contamination from landmines and explosive remnants of war. He added that Project Masam teams successfully secured these locations and handed them back to residents, enabling families to return safely to their homes.<\/p>\n He further stated that some houses and surrounding areas remain contaminated, stressing that the team will continue operations during the next phase in order to complete clearance activities and fully secure the remaining sites.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t