Intensive work of engineering teams to clean al-Raqqa city from mines

AZAD SIFO- NAJBIR OTHMAN / AL-RAQQA

The Internal Security Forces were established in al-Raqqa to work to control and maintain security, with the operation launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces to liberate al-Raqqa city from ISIS in June 2017, IS mercenaries intensified mines planting as a step to retaliate against civilians who fled their homes.

What are the special engineering teams for demining in al-Raqqa?

The special engineering teams for the demining related to the Internal Security Forces in the city including groups of people in al-Raqqa, the special demining teams in al-Raqqa have been given special training courses by the Internal Security Forces and International Alliance Forces.

Large number of Turkish, Russian and Israeli-made mines

The teams have dismantled 5,000 mines while there is no statistics on the number of mines planted by IS mercenaries, the mines that were dismantled included improvised explosive devices, shells and grenades, while the forces managed to wiping out a large number of Turkish, Russian and even Israeli modern mines.

While the forces are wiping out the mines that are dismantled in places outside the city far from the presence of civilians, and the teams during the demining operations had presented 5 martyrs since the liberation of the city.

The neighborhoods in which the engineering teams did not enter ... and why?

ISIS planted mines in the neighborhood of al-Andalus (Kurd neighborhood) north of the city and al-Rumaila, northeast of the city, the mines were heavily planted where no one dares approach the area, and complex mines were planted in this area and the engineering teams faced extreme difficulty in demining the mines, especially the laser-working that explodes in any object trying to approach the place where it was placed and can not approach them if the engineer does not have special devices, while in the neighborhoods listed several types of other mines, the team could not find them yet.

Difficulties in the absence of mechanisms to dismantle modern mines

The general commander of the engineering teams of al-Raqqa city Ogla Khalaf al-Mousa told Hawar news agency about the difficulties they face, and confirmed that the teams sometimes cannot reach landmines for the lack of modern mechanisms for the teams.

"Sometimes there are requests from the residents for the presence of mines under the rubble, and because of the absence of modern mechanisms, we have difficulties in dismantling them," Mousa said. "The teams have only one mechanism: the tractor is used only in agricultural land.

Correspondents of Hawar news agency accompanied the engineering team

When we were at the headquarters of the engineering team to dismantle the mines, Mohammed Ali, a resident of al-Raqqa, entered from Tel Abiyad street, which is located in the center of al-Raqqa city, with a paper from al-Raqqa Civil Council demanding the engineering teams dismantle several mines planted at his home, the team had headed to his home.

In a few minutes, the engineering team for the dismantling of mines, consisting of 4 members and the chief of the team, was assembled to accompany Muhammad Ali. After 5 minutes we managed to reach the house of Muhammad Ali to dismantle the mine, when we arrived, the chief had entered at the beginning alone to the house to be able to look at the mine then the rest of the members evacuated the area of ​​civilians for the sake of safety.

After the dismantling, we were able to monitor the situation of the house, the team managed to grab several mortar shells and military pouches inside the house while the house was actually mined, the wires were connected to the mortars and connected to the inner door directly, the opening of the door before the mine was dismantled by the engineering team will hurt Mohammed Ali and would have suffered a real disaster inside his house

H/S

ANHA