On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, five civilians, including three women, were killed, and five children were injured to varying degrees, by a landmine of unidentified source that exploded under their car in Arab Hasan village in the eastern rural areas of Manbij city in Aleppo governorate. All the victims were from the same family.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) from reliable local sources, the explosion occurred while the family was heading for an agricultural field for work. The area is under the control of the current transitional authorities in Syria at the time of the incident.
This area is one of the areas that underwent shifts in control among the warring parties. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to determine who planted the landmine. SNHR’s database indicates that the area was under the control of Assad regime forces during the period when it is likely that the landmines were planted.
Landmines continue to pose an ongoing threat to civilians in Syria, having caused the deaths and injuries of thousands of people over the past years. This threat persists amid the absence of serious efforts to disclose minefield maps or clear contaminated areas.
SNHR calls on the transitional government and relevant international organizations to provide the necessary equipment and resources, and to support local teams, organizations, and official entities specialized in mine and war remnants removal, in order to reduce risks and protect civilian lives.
