MAG - Mines Advisory Group Iraq

Iraq is one of the world’s most landmine-affected countries. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the first and second Gulf Wars, and the persecution of the Kurdish people under Saddam Hussein's government have left the country with extensive landmine and cluster munition contamination that still have a daily impact on poor and marginalised communities.

This historic contamination has been compounded by new contamination from the recent conflict with ISIS since 2014. Over 3.4 million people were displaced at the height of the crisis and the fighting has seen large areas of Iraq contaminated with landmines of an improvised nature, manufactured on an industrial scale, and deployed in urban, village and rural settings.

The situation has led to numerous accidents among returning populations and continues to prevent many others from returning to their homes, placing a strain on resources in other areas of the country.