Two children, eight-year-old Omar M’arestawi and 10-year-old Abdullah Ahmad Saqer*, were killed on August 17, 2022 by the explosion of a landmine planted by unknown parties while they were in an abandoned house in Masaken Hanano neighborhood in Aleppo city where they were gathering scraps to sell. The region is under the control of Syrian regime forces.
SNHR is still trying to reach witnesses to the incident to obtain more details.
We demand that the controlling forces assume full responsibility for protecting civilians in the areas under their control, and that they determine the locations of all mines planted in these areas and remove them. We have documented hundreds of deaths and injuries as a result of mine explosions; these munitions will continue to constitute a severe threat to the population of these areas in years to come, especially to children.
* In a previous SNHR news report, we noted that we had been unable to identify two children who were killed on August 17, 2022 by the explosion of a landmine planted by unknown parties in Aleppo city. After further investigation, however, we have confirmed the identities of both children, who have been identified as eight-year-old Omar M’arestawi and 10-year-old Abdullah Ahmad Saqer. The news report was updated accordingly, on August 18, 2022.