Teams of international organizations north of al-Raqqah detonate mines planted by ISIS when it used to control the area

Al-Raqqah Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Several intersecting sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that explosions were heard this morning in al-Jbyliyyeh area north of al-Raqqah city, they were caused by the detonation of mines planted by the “Islamic State” organization during its control of the area, where operations of demining and mine detonation are being carried out by teams of international organizations that came to al-Raqqah for that purpose, after the organization had planted huge numbers of them before being attacked by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, within the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation, during which the latter managed to control al-Raqqah city and wide areas in the province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented that it rose to about more than 90 civilians –more than half of them are children and women– the number of people who were killed due to mine explosion during their movement in the city, or while they were trying to return their houses, in months in the city, in which sweeping and demining operation are taking place by the SDF and the International Coalition, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published in late October 2017 that the demining teams of the Syria Democratic Forces and teams of the International Coalition and western parties have stopped their work in the city temporary, following the injury of foreign members of the mine engineering teams and the death of other members as a result of mine explosions, the sources told the observatory that they stop mine sweeping and dismantling in order to search for a different method to remove them, in a way that does not inflict casualties in their ranks in Al-Raqqah city, where Al-Raqqah city is witnessing a destruction of more than 80% of its area, which witnessed battles and violent clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition against the “Islamic State” organization, and lasted from the 6th of June 2017 until the 17th of October 2017, the date of the exit of the last batch of members of the “Islamic State” organization from the city, also the organization had intensively planted miners in the city and its outskirts.