Mosul has been liberated from "Islamic State" (IS) but for residents of the Iraqi city, the horror will not be over for some time. Remnants of dangerous explosives are lethal traps. Children in particular are in danger.
Image: Getty Images/A. Al-Rubaye
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It was "hell on earth," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. The self-proclaimed "Islamic State" (IS) committed numerous war crimes during its reign over Mosul. Tens of thousands of residents were expelled or used as human shields. The terror organization controlled Mosul from 2014 until the Iraqi Armed Forces recaptured the city last week. Mosul has been officially liberated from IS since Monday - even though a few isolated fighters remain in the city.
The Battle of Mosul has left behind significant destruction. Over many months, buildings and streets were reduced to rubble and ash. Suicide bombers blew themselves up and snipers fought on street corners. Almost 1 million people fled the city.
Explosives lurking everywhere
The number of people returning to their homes has been growing since the victory over IS. According to the aid organization Handicap International, around 200,000 people have returned and even more are expected to go home in the coming weeks.
The long legacy of land mines
Despite efforts to universally ban land mines, they lie hidden in more than 50 countries. One wrong step can result in blindness, loss of limb or life. On Mine Awareness Day, DW looks at how they be removed.
Image: DW/D. Visevic
No safety in numbers
There is no exact information on how many land mines contaminate the ground, but the number is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Lingering long after the guns of war fall silent, they hold hostage life and land. There are currently 162 parties to the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, which aims to prohibit the "use, stockpiling, production and transfer" of anti-personnel mines.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The future of mine clearing?
It not only looks like a dandelion seed, but is equally powered by the follies of the wind. Called a "Mine Kafon" or "mine exploder", it is the brainchild of Afghani Massoud Hassani. His invention of 175 circular plastic plates attached to bamboo poles, is inexpensive to make and is wind-powered. The height and weight of an average man, it is designed to blow across landscapes detonating mines.
Image: Massoud Hassani
A product in evolution
Inspired by Hassani's childhood experience of making wind-powered toys, the Mine Kafon has, with the help of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, undergone significant prototyping and testing. An R&D team is now honing the design to make it safe and suitable for all terrains. "Mine Kafon is not only an anti-land mine device; it opens a discussion of global awareness" - Massoud Hassani
Image: Massoud Hassani
From the top down
The designer is also working on the Mine Kafron Drone, which can detect the hidden weapons using sensors and grab them with a retractable arm before taking them to a safe place for detonation. Massoud Hassani says the invention, which is still in the optimization stage, is safer, faster and infinitely less expensive than existing technologies, and could result in a mine-free world in ten years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. de Waal
A nose for danger
Belgian NGO APOPO breeds mine detection rats that are deployed to sniff out the deadly devices in various countries around the world. The animals, which have an extremely strong sense of smell, are trained to detect TNT, thereby speeding up mine clearance efforts and allowing communities to reclaim and resuse their land. The NGO says no rats have died as a result of their work.
Image: Getty Images/T. Weidman
Sniffing out the past
Another animal used to clear mines is man's best friend. After months of training, they too are able to detect the scent of explosives. The Marshall Legacy Institute launched its dog program in 1999. Since then the animals have searched almost 11,000 acres of contaminated land. It now has more than 900 canines working in 24 countries around the world.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Loeb
Armed for ancient conflict
It looks like a combination between a tank and a combine harvester, and that's not far off in terms of purpose. This Aardvark mine clearence machine is equipped with 72 chains that hit the ground, exploding mines on contact, without damaging either the vehicle or the driver. The machine clears everything in its path and can cover an area equivalent to four football fields per day.
Image: Aardvark
Long-lasting dangers
Once buried, land mines can remain active for more than 50 years, not only posing physical threats to those who come into contact with them, but also hampering the repatriation of refugees and displaced people, and slowing the process of development and reconstruction in post-conflict years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Life-changing injuries
With only 11 countries - including China and Russia - that continue to produce land mines, huge progress has been made since the adoption of the Ottowa Treaty. But there are still challenges ahead, for as long as they remain in the ground, they will kill, maim, and cause disfigurement. Almost always to civilians during peace time.
Image: DW/Y. Castro
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But returnees still face mortal danger, warns Handicap International. Numerous explosives and explosive remnants of war (ERW) may pose a threat to civilians for years and decades to come. One wrong step can lead to the loss of life - or serious disabilities. The immediate aftermath of war can be particularly dangerous, as very few demining operations have taken place. Handicap International thus intends to educate civilians and aid workers about the dangers of explosives that have not yet been neutralized.
"People must warn children and teens in particular. They should by no means defuse explosives by throwing stones at them - this is life-threatening," Iwona Tscheinig, managing director of Austrian aid organization Together Against Land Mines, told DW. "It is best to mark the spot and report it to the military."
The threat of explosives is especially high in neighborhoods that suffered significant destruction and many dead have been found. It is difficult to estimate how long it will take for a city like Mosul to be cleared entirely, said Tscheinig, but work has already begun.
Iraqis in Baghdad celebrated the victory against IS in MosulImage: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/K. Kadim
Deadly legacy of war
Iraq has been riddled with land mines for decades now. According to DEMIRA, a German mine clearance and explosive disposal organization, around 20 million land mines and between 2.6 and 6 million unexploded bombs remain in the country. They are a direct consequence of the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf Wars. Iraq is one of the world's most severely affected countries when it comes to mines and unexploded ordinance.
The exact location of the landmines is unknown, making it even more difficult to clear them, and the consequences are terrible. According to DEMIRA, thousands of people in Iraq have been killed or injured by remnants of wartime munition, but no official statistics have been kept. Civilians are often the victims, many of them children.
Although the Iraqi Army has recaptured Mosul, its inhabitants will face life-threatening conditions for years to come. Iraq has been celebrating the city's liberation for a week, although perhaps not voluntarily, as the state ordered the festivities.
