Some 833 mines, munitions defused in liberated lands

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Some 833 mines and munitions were found and defused on Azerbaijan's liberated territories from November 1 to November 30, the Mine Action Agency has reported on its official Twitter page.

The agency found and defused 256 anti-personnel and 354 anti-tank mines, as well as 223 unexploded ordnances in Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Shusha, Gubadli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan regions during the reported period.

In all, 414 hectares were cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance in this period.

Additionally, 10,456 anti-personnel and 4,683 anti-tank mines, as well as 12,659 unexploded ordnances were found and defused on the abovementioned territories from November 10, 2020, to November 30, 2021.

Moreover, the agency reported that the US Marshall Legacy Institute had sent eight more detection dogs to Azerbaijan. Six of those dogs were purchased by the agency, and two through the funds of the Marshall Legacy Institute.

The mine detection dogs were trained with their guide at the Horadiz regional center of the agency. They were involved in demining operations on the liberated territories.

Dogs are sent to Azerbaijan in stages by Silk Way West Airlines.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan’s Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), along with the partner countries, carries out demining activities on its liberated territories.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

About 180 Azerbaijanis have been killed or injured in the explosion of mines laid by Armenians in Azerbaijan’s formerly occupied regions since the end of the war in autumn 2020 that saw Azerbaijan liberate most of its territories in and around Karabakh.

On June 12, Azerbaijan handed over 15 Armenian prisoners in exchange for a map detailing the location of 97,000 mines in formerly-occupied Aghdam.

On July 3, Armenia submitted to Azerbaijan maps of about 92,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines planted during the occupation of Fuzuli and Zangilan regions.

In his interview to CNN Turk channel on August 14, President Ilham Aliyev said that the accuracy of the maps provided by Armenia at the latest stage is only 25 percent.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered peace agreement on November 10, 2020, to end 44 days of fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.