Manchester charity awarded £4.8m to clear Syria landmines

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) said it had destroyed more than 78,000 explosive ordnance items in Syria

A Manchester-based charity has been awarded £4.8m ($6m) from the US government to clear landmines in Syria.

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) said since working in north-east Syria from 2016, it had removed more than 78,000 explosive ordnance items from sites.

The group said the funding would also provide risk education sessions for 34,000 people in danger.

MAG added the grant would "increase civilian security and return land and infrastructure to productive use".

The funding was given by the US State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

"The past 12 years of conflict in Syria have had a devastating impact on ordinary citizens," MAG's Middle Eastern regional director El Hamri said.

"Clearing contaminated land is essential for the economic security of those dependent on agriculture-based livelihoods and for the rehabilitation of properties and homes affected by the conflict," she continued.

Syrians face daily threats from ongoing hostilities, widespread contamination of explosive ordnance and significant degradation of living conditions and erosion of coping capacities, the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) reported.

MAG said the grant will enable clearance of 3.6 million square meters of land and to train people to identify and report suspicious items.

Ms Hamri said the group was "extremely thankful" to the US government for its "crucial support".

Karen Chandler, director of the US State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said: "MAG's achievements since the conflict began have been vital in improving civilian security in Syria, where the presence of unexploded ordnance is widespread."