Handicap International [to 30 May 2015]
http://www.handicap-international.us/press_releases

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KOBANI: “BEYOND OUR WORST NIGHTMARES”
Posted on May 27, 2015 12:01 AM
Takoma Park, MD—Handicap International mine action experts have assessed the beleaguered city of Kobani, Syria, in April, and discovered an alarming level of unexploded ordnance contamination. Four months of combat, including ground fighting and coalition air strikes, left an average of 10 munitions per square meter in the city center, and destroyed nearly 80% of buildings, according to a Handicap International brief released today.

“What we saw in Kobani was beyond our worst nightmares: a significant part of the city is vastly destroyed and unexploded weapons contamination of all kinds have reached a density and diversity that has hardly ever been witnessed before,” said Frédéric Maio, Handicap International’s Mine Action Program Development Manager. “The unexploded devices and booby traps pose a daily threat to the people who fled Kobani and are now trying to return home. This explosive pollution will make it impossible for people to reconstruct their lives, and blocks access to several areas. It also prevents humanitarian organizations from operating safely and providing the necessary support to this vulnerable population.”…