Syrians returning home face deadly threat of landmines

Ahmed never imagined that his dream of returning to his farmland would turn into a nightmare. He fought back tears as he showed us a photo of his late father, smiling and surrounded by the lush olive trees on their land in the Idlib province of northwestern Syria. The photo was taken five years ago, just months before the former government-affiliated armed groups occupied their village near the city of Saraqib.

Saraqib had been a strategic stronghold for the Syrian opposition for years until, in late 2019, forces allied with Bashar al-Assad’s regime launched an offensive against rebels in the Idlib province. Hundreds of thousands of residents fled their homes, and by early 2020, Assad’s forces had captured several other rebel strongholds in the northwest. Ahmed and his father were among the displaced. “We had to leave because of the fighting and the airstrikes,” Ahmed said through tears. “My father refused to leave; he wanted to die on his land.”

The father and son had always longed to return home. When opposition forces regained control of their village in November 2024, their dream was within reach. However, disaster soon struck. “We went to our land to harvest some olives,” Ahmed explained. “We went in two cars. My father took a different route back to our home in Idlib city. I warned him not to take that road, but he insisted. His car hit a landmine and exploded.” Ahmed’s father died instantly. He not only lost his father that day but also the family’s main source of income. Their 100,000-square-meter farm, with 50-year-old olive trees, is now designated as a dangerous minefield.

According to the Halo Trust, an international organization specializing in clearing landmines and other explosive devices, at least 144 people, including 27 children, have died from landmines and unexploded remnants of war since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December. The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, told the BBC that many of the dead are farmers and landowners who attempted to return to their land after the collapse of the Assad regime. Unexploded remnants of war pose a serious threat to life in Syria. They mainly fall into two categories. The first is unexploded ordnance (UXO), such as cluster bombs, mortars, and grenades.

Hassan Tarfa, head of the White Helmets team responsible for clearing unexploded ordnance in northwestern Syria, explained that these devices are less difficult to clear because they are usually visible on the surface. The White Helmets stated that they cleared approximately 822 pieces of unexploded ordnance in northwestern Syria between November 27 and January 3. Mr. Tarfa said that the bigger challenge lies in the second category of ordnance—landmines. He explained that former government forces had planted hundreds of thousands of landmines throughout Syria, primarily in agricultural fields. According to the White Helmets, most of the deaths recorded since the collapse of the Assad regime have occurred along former front lines. Most of the victims are men.

Mr. Tarfa took us to two large fields littered with landmines. Our car followed his along a narrow, winding dirt road. This was the only safe route to reach the fields. By the side of the road, children were running around nearby. Hassan told us they were the children of families who had recently returned. However, the danger of landmines was all around them. As we got out of the car, he pointed to an obstruction in the distance. “This is the last point of separation between the Idlib government-controlled area and the area controlled by opposition forces,” he told us. He added that Assad’s forces had planted thousands of landmines in the fields beyond the obstruction to prevent rebel advances.

The fields around us where we were standing were once important agricultural lands. Today, they are all barren, with no greenery visible except for the green tops of landmines that we could see with our binoculars. Lacking the expertise to clear the landmines, the White Helmets are currently only able to cordon off these fields and post signs along their boundaries warning people. They also spray warning messages on dirt barriers and houses at the edges of the fields. “Danger—Landmines Ahead,” they read. They are also running awareness campaigns to educate local residents about the dangers of entering contaminated land.

On the way back, we met a recently returned farmer in his 30s. He told us that some of the land belonged to his family. “We don’t recognize anything anymore,” said Mohammed. “We used to grow wheat, barley, cumin, and cotton. Now we can’t do anything. As long as we can’t cultivate these lands, we will remain in a poor economic situation,” he added, clearly frustrated. The White Helmets stated that they have identified and cordoned off approximately 117 minefields in just over a month. They are not the only organization working to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance, but there seems to be little coordination between the various groups.

There are currently no accurate statistics on areas contaminated by unexploded ordnance or landmines. However, international organizations such as the Halo Trust have created approximate maps. Damian O’Brien, the Halo's Syria Program Manager, stated that a comprehensive survey of the country is needed to understand the extent of the contamination. He estimated that approximately one million devices need to be destroyed to protect the lives of Syrian civilians. “Any Syrian army position is very likely to have had some landmines laid around it as a defensive measure,” Mr. O’Brien said. “In places like Homs and Hama, whole communities have been almost completely destroyed. Anyone going into those buildings to assess them, whether for demolition or reconstruction, needs to be aware that there may be unexploded items there, whether it’s bullets, cluster munitions, grenades, or shells.”

The White Helmets have discovered a treasure trove that could help clear landmines. At their office in Idlib city, Mr. Tarfa showed us a stack of maps and documents left behind by government forces. They show the locations, quantities, and types of landmines planted in different fields in northwestern Syria. “We will hand these documents over to the agencies that deal directly with landmines,” Mr. Tarfa said. However, the local expertise currently available in Syria appears insufficient to address the serious danger that unexploded ordnance poses to civilian lives.

Mr. O’Brien emphasized that the international community needs to work with the new Syrian government to increase expertise in the country. “We need funding from donors to expand our capabilities, which means hiring more people, buying more machines, and working in a wider area,” he said. As for Mr. Tarfa, clearing unexploded ordnance and raising awareness about its dangers has become a personal mission. Ten years ago, he lost one of his legs while clearing cluster bombs. He said that his injury, along with all the heartbreaking events he has witnessed of children and civilians affected by unexploded ordnance, only further motivates him to continue his work. “I never want any civilian or team member to go through what I went through,” he said. “I can’t describe how I feel when I clear dangers that threaten civilian lives.”

But until international and local efforts are coordinated to eliminate the danger of landmines, the lives of many civilians, especially children, remain at risk.