17 dead in mine explosion left behind by the Islamic State in Syria – Observatory

At least 17 people have been killed in the last 24 hours as a result of a landmine explosion in eastern and northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday.

“At least 16 people were killed by Saturday’s explosion in the western village of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria,” Rami Abdul Rahman, director of the observatory, told AFP. He pointed out that “32 people were injured” in the same explosion.

In the northern town of Qabasin, one person was killed and others injured when a landmine exploded Sunday from the remnants of an Islamic state that was expelled from the area three years ago, according to the observatory.

Over the past years, as its opponents have approached its strongholds, the organization has sought to plant mines in an effort to impede their progress and to inflict the greatest casualties on both combatants and civilians.

According to the observatory, in the past three weeks, “at least 44 people, including five children, were killed by mines and explosive remnants of the organization in Homs (central), Hama and Deir al-Zour.”

In February, the province of Hama (central) witnessed the explosion of several mines, killing 28 people.

The organization declared in 2014 the “Islamic caliphate” over large areas of control in Syria and neighboring Iraq, estimated the size of Britain, but has suffered large field losses in the past two years on several fronts, by government forces and Kurdish fighters in the north and east of the country.

The nine-year-old Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people, devastated infrastructure and displaced more than half of the population inside and outside the country.

Source: 17 dead in mine explosion left behind by the Islamic State in Syria – Observatory | VOP NEWS