Azerbaijani deminers neutralise over 200 landmines in liberated Karabakh ANAMA weekly report

The Mine Action Agency of the Azerbaijan Republic (ANAMA) has released its weekly report on demining operations conducted in the liberated Azerbaijani territories from November 18 to November 24.

During the reported period, 203 antipersonnel mines, 10 antitank mines, and 862 unexploded ordnance were revealed in Tartar, Aghdam, Aghdara, Lachin, Fuzuli, Shusha, Khojaly, Khankendi, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Khojavend, Jabrayil, and Zangilan, ANAMA told Caliber.Az.

A total of 1,457.4 hectares have been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance.

In recent development, ANAMA Chairman, Vugar Suleymanov, met with TikTok representatives to address the urgent landmine and unexploded ordnance issue in Karabakh’s liberated territories. Sergey Sokolov, TikTok’s Eastern European Public Policy Director, and Emin Akhundov, Advisor for Governmental Structures, attended the meeting to discuss potential collaborations.

ANAMA briefed TikTok on Azerbaijan’s large-scale humanitarian demining efforts, launched following the recapture of Karabakh from Armenian control. The efforts are focused on mitigating risks posed by landmines, reportedly planted by Armenia as part of its military strategy, which continue to endanger civilian lives and hinder the safe return of displaced populations.

Both parties stressed the importance of raising public awareness about landmine safety and agreed to explore partnerships for creating informative content on TikTok.

Since 2020, Azerbaijan has cleared approximately 168,000 hectares of land, neutralising over 161,000 mines, including 25,000 anti-personnel devices. Educational campaigns have contributed to a 60% reduction in mine-related incidents since 2021.

Head of ANAMA's education, international and public relations department Ramil Azizov highlighted ongoing challenges during a roundtable, revealing that over 3,400 people have been affected by mines since 1991.

The collaboration with TikTok aims to amplify awareness and support safer conditions in liberated regions.

By Aghakazim Guliyev