U.S.-funded explosive hazard risk education programs improve safety and human security across Iraq

SUMMARY: Iraq is contaminated by an estimated 10 to 15 million long-lived landmines, pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and other explosive remnants of war from conflicts dating back to the 1940s. Numerous large barrier minefields and pieces of UXO remain along Iraq’s western border as a result of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War. The 1990-1991 Gulf War and the Iraq War that began in 2003 resulted in a significant quantity of UXO in southern Iraq.