Syria Landmines Trap Civilians Attempting to Flee

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday released a report with new details of the destruction caused by the mines planted along Syria’s borders with Turkey and Lebanon.

Steve Goose, the group’s Arms Division director says the weapons have, for the most part, targeted civilians.

“These mines seem to be laid primarily on the routes that have been used by refugees,” Goose notes. “Those who are trying to get out of Syria because they fear for their lives are instead losing lives and limbs to these anti-personnel mines.”

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Marco Werman: We’re going to hear more about those landmines now. Today, the group Human Rights Watch released a report on the mines planted by Syria along its borders with Turkey and Lebanon. Steve Goose is the group’s Arms Division Director.

Steve Goose: We have eye-witnesses to the mine laying. We have former Syrian de-miners, the guys who pull the mines out of the ground, giving us great details about it. We have even talked to some of the victims, those who stepped on mines but managed to survive.

Werman: What kind of mines are these and where specifically have they been planted?

Goose: We have found both anti-personnel mines and anti-vehicle mines. Anti-personnel mines have been banned by most of the world, as well as some anti-vehicle mines – the type that goes off when a tank or a car or a horse cart go over them. We found them on both the Lebanese border and on the border with Turkey and what we’ve seen is that they kill, almost exclusively, civilians.

Werman: Civilians, apparently, have already been injured by these mines along Syria’s border. You heard from a 15-year old boy who was maimed. Tell us his story.

Goose: This is a boy who had seen landmines being planted, but not in this particular area. He went out at night and thought that he was in a safe area and instead ended up stepping on a mine. He survived. One of the things about anti-personnel mines is actually they are designed to maim you rather than to kill you. These mines seem to be laid primarily on the routes that are being used by refugees; just a horrific notion that those who are trying to get out of Syria because they fear for their lives are instead losing lives and limbs to these anti-personnel mines.

Werman: Break it down for us. What does it seem then is the purpose of mining Syria’s borders and who do you think is doing it?

Goose: Well, we know it’s the Syrian army. They have been seen doing it. The fact that they are being laid on areas where refugees are leaving leads one to conclude that they are either trying to control the movement of the population, to stop them from leaving, or possibly to cause injuries from those that they may view as being part of the opposition.

Werman: Now, Syria isn’t thought to be a producer of landmines. Where then might these mines be coming from?

Goose: These are either Russian or Soviet supplied mines. Even though Russia hasn’t joined the treaty banning the weapon, Russia has had a prohibition on the export of the weapon since 1994 as part of the movement to ban the weapon. We have no evidence that they’ve shipped any mines since 1994, so these are probably very old Russian or very old Soviet mines that Syria received several decades ago.

Werman: Steve Goose, Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch, thanks very much for speaking with us.

Goose: Thank you.

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