Syrian Army clears several areas of mines and IEDs

Syrian armed forces engineers have removed land mines from 1.7 hectares (4.2 acres) of territory and dismantled 43 explosive devices over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defence Ministry’s Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides said on Saturday.

“Engineering units of the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic performed mine clearance tasks in Arbil, Duma, Mazraat Mahmoud and Haush el-Fara (Damascus province), Jasim, Anhuk, Kafar Shams, El-Harra (Deraa province) over the past 24 hours.

Two hectares were cleared, 43 explosive objects were found and destroyed,” the centre said in a daily bulletin.

The bulletin added that no refugees had returned to Syria from neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan over this period, as has been customary because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has reached all three countries and caused authorities to shut borders.

A separate daily bulletin said that the Turkish side of the Russian-Turkish commission monitoring the implementation of the Syrian truce registered 1 ceasefire violation in the Latakia province while the Russian side registered no such violations.