Demining milestone: Over 160,000 hectares cleared in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh

Since the second Karabakh War, over 160,000 hectares of land have been cleared of mines in the territories of Karabakh and East Zangezur, and more than 156,000 mines and unexploded ordnance have been found and neutralised.

Khalig Zulfuqarov, the operational head of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) noted that since November 2020, 377 civilians have fallen victim to mines, Caliber.Az reports.

He added that 69 people have died, and 308 have sustained various degrees of injury.

Among the factors complicating the demining process, Khalig Zulfuqarov mentioned booby traps, improvised explosive devices, contamination of the area with metal fragments and barbed wire, mines sinking deeper into the ground due to rain and floodwaters, and the deformation of mines with wooden and plastic casings.

Notably, the demining operations are a joint effort involving ANAMA, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the State Border Guard Service. These organizations are working together to ensure the liberated areas are safe, allowing civilians to return and life to resume normally.

Following Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War in November 2020, the country embarked on an extensive demining campaign in territories previously occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. Despite significant efforts, these operations have been hindered by Armenia’s reluctance to provide accurate minefield maps.

Azerbaijan has received minefield maps for the formerly occupied districts of Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Zangilan, which reportedly indicate the locations of 189,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Additional maps for other liberated areas were also provided by Armenia in exchange for the release of Armenian saboteurs detained after the war. However, President Ilham Aliyev has criticized the accuracy of these maps, noting their reliability at only 25 per cent.

According to ANAMA, the effectiveness of the maps provided by Armenia was just two per cent in practical demining efforts. International experts estimate that Azerbaijan will require nearly 30 years and $25 billion to fully address the demining challenges.