Saudi project clears 1,045 mines within week in Yemen

Sanaa, Jan 23 (IANS) The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen (Masam) announced they have cleared 1,045 mines in the war-ravaged Arab nation in the third week of January.Masam said in a statement that it had cleared 15 anti-personnel mines, 131 anti-tank mines, 896 unexploded ordnance, and three other explosive devices in the war-torn provinces of Dhalea, Shabwa, Hodeidah and Taiz, reports Xinhua news agency.A total of 383,193 Houthi-laid mines have been cleared since the Saudi project was launched in Yemen in 2018.These landmines and improvised explosive devices laid by the Houthi militia continue to pose a threat to Yemeni civilians despite the ongoing mine-clearing efforts.According to the pro-government demining experts in Yemen, more than 1 million landmines have been laid since the outbreak of the civil war in late 2014, when the Houthi militia took control of several northern provinces and forced the government out of the capital Sanaa.
--IANS ksk/

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