Iraq: Unexploded ordnance poses nationwide risk

Event

According to Iraqi security officials, an estimated 500,000 mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been left behind by Islamic State (IS) militants in Anbar, Salah-al-Din, Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Diyala provinces - an average of two IEDs per square kilometer (0.38 square mile). Less than 10 percent of the explosive devices placed by IS are believed to have been defused by Iraqi security forces. In addition, IS militants have left behind booby traps in thousands of houses in the abovementioned regions. According to local sources, an estimated 30 Iraqis are killed every month by mines, IEDs, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas that IS once controlled.

Context

Following a four-year civil war, Iraqi security forces, supported by an international coalition, have reclaimed nearly all the territory once claimed by the Islamic State (IS). In November 2017, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that forces had reclaimed Rawa, the last town to have been under IS control, essentially marking the end of IS's so-called territorial "caliphate" - originally declared in 2014. As of March 2018, remaining IS militants have been pushed out to non-strategic desert areas near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Nevertheless, diversionary and retaliatory attacks by IS have become increasingly common, and it is likely that the group will continue to employ asymmetric terrorist tactics with greater frequency, using small cells that can operate within the group's progressively fragmenting leadership structure.

Advice

The security environment in Iraq remains complex. Although travel is possible in some areas with proper security protocols in place, other areas should be considered strictly off limits. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to all travel.