Azerbaijani demining teams clear some 122 hectares in Gazakh district

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has cleared 122 hectares of land of mines and unexploded ordnance in the liberated areas of the Gazakh district between January and August this year.

According to ANAMA, 309 mines and unexploded devices were detected and neutralised during this period, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Demining operations in Gazakh have been underway since April 2024, with a total of 180.8 hectares cleared so far. In the process, specialists have removed 1,038 anti-personnel mines, 98 anti-tank mines, and 48 pieces of unexploded ordnance.

Since the end of the 2020 Second Karabakh War, landmines planted by Armenian forces have caused 399 casualties in Azerbaijan, bringing the total number of mine-related deaths and injuries since the 1990s to more than 3,400.

To date, ANAMA has cleared roughly 140,000 hectares across the country, but vast areas remain contaminated. Despite significant government investment and the deployment of specialised units, including all-female demining teams, Azerbaijani authorities emphasise that international support is crucial to fully eliminate the landmine threat.

By Sabina Mammadli