\n
London, Dec 15, (PA Media\/dpa\/GNA) \u2013 The extent of unexploded ordnance littering Syria will be \u201cmassive\u201d, and poses a particular threat to children returning to the country, a landmine-clearing leader has warned.<\/p>\n
Since the fall of the Assad regime last weekend, the Halo Trust has seen a 10-fold increase in emergency calls from Syrians, worried about landmines and other dormant bombs.<\/p>\n
The Halo Trust has produced an estimated \u201cheat map\u201d of the areas, thought to be contaminated with millions of cluster munitions, landmines and unexploded weaponry, with swathes of cities and towns affected.<\/p>\n
Callum Peebles, who oversees the organization\u2019s work in the Middle East, said the deadly legacy of the civil war, means people could be returning to communities which are strewn with dangerous explosives.<\/p>\n
The Scotland-based charity, which is the world\u2019s largest landmine-clearing organization, is currently assessing the situation in Syria, to see if it can expand operations.<\/p>\n
It has been active in the north-west and south of the country since 2017, safely disposing of thousands of pieces of dangerous ordnance in these areas.<\/p>\n
However, the Halo Trust has not had a presence in parts of Syria, which until recently were held by the Assad regime.<\/p>\n
A rapid rebel offensive toppled Bashar Assad\u2019s government last Sunday, following a civil war which first broke out in 2011.<\/p>\n
The momentous change in the country has led to many Syrian refugees, questioning whether the time is right to return.<\/p>\n
Peebles told the PA news agency the Halo Trust is waiting to see whether there is potential to operate in other parts of the country, as this would require permission from the new government.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWithout a doubt, the extent of explosive contamination is unclear but will be massive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we want to do is see how Halo can lead the charge to try and make an impact as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worry about the impact on people\u2019s lives and livelihoods as they are rightfully wanting to return home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peebles, who is originally from Stirlingshire and is now based in Salisbury, encouraged people to take care if they are returning to areas which have seen warfare in the past.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cWe would always encourage people to speak to Halo or other mine clearance authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very easy to say but hard to do, but if you have young children in a post-conflict environment, it\u2019s really important that you try and limit their movement, because children are inquisitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so often they\u2019re the ones that get injured or killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Children should be warned against touching unusual foreign items, he said, while recognizing it will be impossible to entirely curtail children\u2019s curiosity.<\/p>\n
As well as mine clearance, the Halo Trust also provides education on the risks of landmines and unexploded ordnance.<\/p>\n
The charity says an international effort will be required, to make Syria safe from explosive contamination.<\/p>\n
Damian O\u2019Brien, Halo\u2019s Syria programme manager, said: \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything quite like it. Tens of thousands of people are passing through heavily mined areas on a daily basis, causing unnecessary fatal accidents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fighting forces have melted away from the front lines, leaving vast areas littered with explosives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mouiad Alnofoly, Halo\u2019s Syria operations manager, said: \u201cIn the past week, as people have tried returning to their homes and farmland, we have had a 10-fold increase in calls to the hotline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone is ringing non-stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
GNA<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London, Dec 15, (PA Media\/dpa\/GNA) \u2013 The extent of unexploded ordnance littering Syria will be \u201cmassive\u201d, and poses a particular threat to children returning to the country, a landmine-clearing leader has warned. Since the fall of the Assad regime last weekend, the Halo Trust has seen a 10-fold increase in emergency calls from Syrians, worried […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":267200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-267199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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