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A clearance team ready to assess danger on a field. | © HI
HI conducts clearance operations in Tabqa, in Northeast Syria, an area prone to fierce battles during the conflict, to handover lands to villagers and farmers.
Manager of HI activities in Northeast Tomas Dominguez explains the situation:
HI clearance teams consist of 10 persons, including two experts in handling unexploded ordnance and conducting disposal operations and eight searchers. We use manual clearance methods, and a technique called “Battle Area Clearance” (BAC).
It is a demining technique used to clear areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive remnants of war (ERW). It involves a line of “searchers” moving forward about one meter apart, visually searching the ground in front of them. They can be doing this as a visual search only (no detecting equipment) or using Detectors which will also look under the ground. BAC can only be done when there is no confirmed presence of landmines.
So far, our teams have cleared 530,400 m2 and destroyed 42 items, most of which are submunitions. In Tabqa, the current area under clearance covers approximately three million square meters and is expected to be completed within 200 days. The operations started in October 2024 and will end in May 2026.
The site is an agricultural area located near village outskirts, previously used for farming of wheat and barley before the conflict. It is currently deserted and inaccessible due to explosive remnants contamination. The site encompasses areas adjacent to Tabqa airfield.
Following civilian reports of observed unexploded ordnance and accidents involving both civilians and livestock caused by explosive remnants, HI teams were deployed to the area to assess the findings and relay their observations to the clearance team. At the same time, HI teams conducted risk education sessions with the local community to raise awareness about the threat posed by contamination and promote safe behaviour. After that, clearance teams were deployed, and clearance activities were initiated.
The site is considered a high-priority area for clearance due to frequent community reports about the presence of suspicious objects. As the site is in proximity of inhabited area, the site was prioritized, and the task was classified as open following a contamination assessment, which confirmed the presence of submunitions and identified a significant threat to civilians.
There are no official maps. Tabqa airfield, as a military location, was the centre of intense battles during the years of conflict. HI has mapped the contaminated areas, with records maintained in a database, using Google Earth to track and document the daily clearance progress.
We encountered several challenges during the operation, starting with limited access to the site and the lengthy commute, approximately 62 km from Raqqa, where the team is based, taking around one hour and 15 minutes each way. This created significant logistical difficulties in transporting personnel and equipment. Furthermore, the extensive contamination required detailed planning and thorough technical surveys to ensure no threats were overlooked. The type of munitions found required destruction on site to prevent any risk during removal.
Around 1,200 people are living in the area and the surrounding villages, who depend on the land for farming and grazing. The current trends following the fall of the former government indicate that approximately 64,000 people are returning to the Raqqa governorate. The communities we serve include people of all age groups, as well as local farmers and herders living in nearby villages.
As a part of coherent approach, the community is informed by our community liaison team and their relationship with village elders, and other key community leaders.
We also conduct risk educations sessions before, during, and after clearance to inform community members about the risks of explosive remnants of war thus ensuring that women, girls, boys and men are aware of the risks from EO and are encouraged to behave in a way that reduces the risks to people, property and the environment. In Tabqa, sessions have been conducted since July 2024. 450 individuals have participated in sessions so far, including 180 women and 130 children.
Upon completion of the clearance, a formal land release process is carried out, during which the land is officially transferred to local authorities, who then hand it over to the rightful owner or beneficiaries.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
