Marib: Masam’s Team 11 clears hundreds of landmines in one month

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One of Project Masam’s 32 demining teams has cleared and removed hundreds of anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines in one location in Marib Province during the month of October. 

Since Yemen’s civil was began in 2014, Houthi militias have planted land and seamines across the war-torn country. Civilian communities in Yemen are direct victims of these explosive items.  

Masam teams are tasked to clear areas of immediate humanitarian priority: villages, roads, schools, etc… in order to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and humanitarian goods and services. 

Deployed in the Rahbah District to assist with clearance in liberated areas, Team 11 led by Saleh Naser Toreeq removed 237 anti-tank mines and five anti-personnel mines last month. 

The city of Rahbah, which is located in southern Marib governorate, saw intense fighting as the Yemeni pro-government forces battled to retake the city in July this year following two years under Houthi control. 

Team 11 is one of 16 teams operating out of Masam’s Marib headquarters. In the week 6 to 12 November 2021, these teams removed 453 anti-tank mines from the area. 

Gus Maartens, Project Manager, explained this large number of findings comes after Houthis retreated from these previously occupied areas. 

“All areas currently occupied by Al-Houthi are deemed to be suspect, as they do not occupy without laying mines,” Maartens said. 

During the same week, Marib teams removed 1198 remnants of war, including 745 unexploded ordnance (UXO).

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