Local websites in Kurdistan reported the discovery of a '500-pound bomb' leftover from the Iran-Iraq war by two students in a village near the city of Marivan. The local site 'Bokanpress' on Thursday, December 15, quoted Shirko Bahmani, the head of the Welfare Department of Marivan, stating that last week two students identified the bomb around their school in the village of 'Ni'. Mr. Bahmani added that this bomb was 'fortunately neutralized without any damage thanks to the efforts of welfare experts, teachers, and the demining team.' According to the demining team, this bomb is of Chilean manufacture and is considered very dangerous. Ali Fallahi, the governor of Marivan, also reported in August of this year the discovery and neutralization of a bomb and several artillery shells from the war era in the village of 'Pir Safa' in this city. Fallahi added that 'this military ordnance included a 500-pound bomb and four unexploded Katyusha shells of 155 mm and 105 mm caliber.' According to initial statistics published in 1988, after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, 1,100 kilometers of the common border between the two countries are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance from the war. Five provinces in Iran, covering an area of about 4.2 million hectares, have been contaminated with at least 16 million mines, many of which have been neutralized or exploded in recent years. Detailed statistics show that from 1988 to 2013, explosions of leftover ordnance from the war in five western provinces of Iran resulted in a total of 2,433 deaths and 5,601 injuries. The Iranian government has begun efforts to clear these areas after the war, and according to military commanders, at least 130 soldiers have lost their lives in the process of these cleanups. Assessments indicate that $300 billion is needed to neutralize the 16 million mines and unexploded ordnance remaining from the war. Officials in Kurdistan province have also announced that 19,000 students in this province have received training on mine prevention and awareness.
Discovery of a '500-pound bomb' in Marivan by two students
Two students in Marivan discovered a 500-pound bomb leftover from the Iran-Iraq war, which was safely neutralized. This incident highlights ongoing issues with unexploded ordnance in Iran, where millions of mines remain a danger decades after the conflict ended.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Two students discovered a 500-pound bomb from the Iran-Iraq war near their school in Marivan, which was safely neutralized by experts. This incident underscores the ongoing issue of unexploded ordnance in the region.
- The bomb was of Chilean manufacture and considered very dangerous.
- Iran has an estimated 16 million mines and unexploded ordnance remaining from the Iran-Iraq war.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) left a significant number of mines and unexploded ordnance, which continue to pose dangers decades later. Efforts to clear these remnants are ongoing but require substantial resources.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%