On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, a woman and her child were killed, and a man and two other children from the same family were injured with varying degrees of severity when a landmine exploded as they were driving through the Skaik area, near the town of Khan al-Shih, west of Rif Dimashq Governorate. It should be noted that the area was under the control of the transitional government at the time of the incident.
According to what the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented from reliable local sources, the mine exploded in the car transporting the family as they passed through the area, killing the woman and her child and wounding three others, including two children. Syrian Civil Defense teams transported the bodies of the two victims to Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus.
This area is one of the sites that witnessed changes in control between the parties to the conflict, making determining who planted the mine extremely complex.
Legal Conclusions:
- The mine explosion that killed a woman and her child, and injured three others, including two children, while they were engaged in a peaceful civilian activity (riding a car), is an example of the continuing threat posed by the effects of conflict to civilians.
- The continued presence of landmines in populated areas or close to civilian activity, without removing them or warning the population of their presence, constitutes a violation of positive protection obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly Article 10 of the Amended Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) on Mines, Booby-Traps, and Improvised Explosive Devices.
- The failure of the controlling parties to provide mine maps or place clear warning signs exposes civilians to death or injury and constitutes a violation of the principle of the duty to warn and inform enshrined in international humanitarian law.
- The inability to identify who planted the mine raises the issue of impunity, which requires an independent investigation and underscores the need for comprehensive documentation of remnants of war and contamination sites to avoid recurring incidents. • The continued presence of mines in civilian areas constitutes a threat to the right to life and physical integrity.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recommendations:
- Open an urgent investigation into the incident to determine which parties to the conflict planted mines in the area and hold the responsible party legally responsible for negligence or deliberate action.
- Accelerate landmine clearance operations, especially in agricultural and pastoral areas close to population centers, in cooperation with international organizations such as UNMAS, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and the Syrian Civil Defense.
- Prepare comprehensive and updated maps of mines and remnants of war and disseminate them locally, with clear warning signs in all suspected areas, particularly those under the effective control of forces on the ground.
- Implement comprehensive local awareness campaigns targeting residents of rural areas and camps on the dangers of mines and how to identify and avoid them, in cooperation with civil society organizations.
- Provide direct support to the families of victims through urgent financial compensation, psychosocial support, and inclusion in programs to assist victims of remnants of war.
