Landmine threat continues in liberated Azerbaijani lands killing two in April More than 200 killed in mine blasts

One civilian and a serviceman have been wounded by Armenian landmines in the Azerbaijani districts of Tartar and Zangilan in April, Report informs, citing the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA).

The incident once again proved the alarming level of landmine threat in the Azerbaijani territories, once occupied and heavily contaminated with explosive devices by the Armenian forces.

Since the end of a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the latter’s Karabakh region, dubbed the Second Karabakh War, in November 2020, more than 200 Azerbaijani citizens, including civilians and military personnel, have been killed and injured in mine explosions. In June 2021, two journalists and a government official have been trapped in a deadly mine blast in the Kalbajar district.

Although Azerbaijan received the maps of the territories contaminated by landmines from Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev confirmed them almost useless since their accuracy did not exceed 25 percent.

ANAMA has been working in the liberated territories of the country since the end of hostilities in Karabakh. The specialists and sapper teams of the agency have reportedly defused a total of more than 29,000 anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines, as well as 26,000 unexploded ordnance.

The agency deploys modern mine clearance equipment purchased from Turkish, British, Slovak, and Croatian manufacturers. Turkiye will reportedly supply 13 more units of its MEMATT minesweepers to Azerbaijan. France is also expected to assist ANAMA in demining operations by providing mine detectors and relevant equipment.

ANAMA has also been using AI-powered drones for the aerial investigation and analysis of the territories contaminated by landmines. The unmanned aerial vehicles procured from the British RPS Energy Ltd. company have so far participated in the analysis of 18,000 hectares of land in the districts of Zangilan, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Tartar, and Gubadli.

In addition to material support, Azerbaijan is also assisted financially for accelerating its demining activities in the liberated lands. The United Kingdom, European Union, and UNESCO, have allocated funds to support the mine clearance operations. The US-based Marshall Legacy Institute delivered 20 specially-trained landmine detection dogs to ANAMA. Five more dogs will reportedly join the operations in June.

Training of ANAMA specialists are being conducted by the experts from the British non-governmental Mine Advisory Group (MAG). Twenty employees of ANAMA involved in training sessions in the Horadiz settlement of the liberated Fuzuli, where the number of landmines planted by Armenians is said to be higher than others.

Azerbaijani authorities are keen on speedy clearance of the country’s once occupied lands from landmines, which will usher in starting the return of former IDPs to their homes. Around 800,000 Azerbaijani citizens lost the places of their permanent residence in the wake of the First Karabakh War in 1991-1994, when Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory and forcibly expelled the indigenous population.

According to the government data, Armenians planted at least one million landmines in today’s liberated lands during the years of occupation. Officials at ANAMA noted that the clearance of combat zones from unexploded ammunition, warheads, and missiles could extend to five to six years, while the mined areas cannot be safe for settlement before 10-13 years.

Mushvig Mehdiyev