JEDDAH: Emergency teams from the Masam Project for landmine clearance in Yemen — in cooperation with the Executive Mine Action Center’s Mukalla branch — on Wednesday destroyed 1,696 landmines and items of unexploded ordnance in Ghayl bin Yamin district.
The media center said destroyed items included various types of shells, mines and rockets. The haul comprised 1,320 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, 220 assorted mortar shells, 11 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, 56 fuzes for anti-personnel mines, one rocket, two improvised explosive devices and 86 rounds of 23 mm ammunition.
The center said the operation was the seventh of its kind carried out in Hadramout Governorate since mid-January.
It added that Masam teams continued to work around the clock to clear landmines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance at a steady pace to protect civilians in Yemen from materials that threatened lives and restricted movement.
The operations, documented with audio and video, form part of the project’s strategy to safely dispose of items removed from populated areas.
With Wednesday’s operation, the total number of landmines, IEDs and unexploded ordnance destroyed by Masam teams in Hadramout since Jan. 17 has risen to 14,109.
