Once it became clear that a US-backed militia coalition was going to chase Isis out of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Isis planted at least 14,000 mines, boobytrapping refrigerators, onion-baskets, rocks, appliances, tea-kettles, "everything."
Isis uses a mix of Russian mines and homemade ones. In the days since the liberation of Manbij, over 100 people have been killed by mines.
Isis isn't the only force in Syria that uses antipersonnel mines, indiscriminately targeting civilians and soldiers alike: they're also a favored weapon of the Assad regime.
Most of the mines are handmade, few are Russian mines, and the majority are landmines. Others are distributed throughout houses: in doors and entrances, refrigerators, cooking utensils and even teapots. They even included behind wall paintings and inside shops.The neighborhoods where mines were spread are heavily in the southern, western and north-western part of the city of Manbij, in the outskirts of the northern neighborhoods and in the outskirts of the eastern neighborhoods as well as in many villages.
ISIS Left Thousands of Mines in Manbij Before Fleeing. It Hid Them Inside Everything. [Reem Zaitouneh/Global Voices]
(Image: Syria No Mines)
