Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 18
By Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
A shell exploded in the city of Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's western province of Kermanshah, killing three members of one family, according to the website of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).
Reportedly, the shell was left over from the Iran-Iraq war.
The message quoted the MP from Sarpol-e Zahab, the member of the parliamentary commission on security and foreign policy, Fathollah Hosseini as saying that the explosion killed a woman and her two sons.
"The shell was buried in the yard of their home. Another unexploded shell was found there," he said.
Hosseini suggested inviting in this regard the ministers of defense and internal affairs to the parliament, so that they answered MPs' questions.
"Back in 2012, it was announced that the territory of Sarpol-e Zahab was completely cleared of mines and shells. But, unfortunately, we are still witnessing such incidents. I sent letters to both ministries, saying that these agencies are responsible for such incidents," the MP said.
The Iran-Iraq war lasted from 1980 to 1988 for the control of the strategically important strait between Iran and Iraq and the Shatt al-Arab river.
The war ended in August 1988 as a result of a ceasefire.
Land areas in Iranian provinces of Ilam (1,700 hectares), Khuzestan (1.3 million hectares), Kermanshah (691,000 hectares), Western Azerbaijan (59,000 hectares) and Kurdistan (1,480 hectares) were mined during the war.
It was assumed that after the war around 16 million mines could remain in these areas.
Iran has done a lot in recent years to clear the country of landmines.
Edited by CN
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