Four women identified as Jamila al-Jabaq, Jamila’s daughter named Manar Jasim al-Hawwash, Fteim al-Kbisi, and Halima al-Askouri, from al-Hamidiya village in the Rif Ma’dan in eastern Raqqa governorate, were killed on April 20, 2023, by the explosion of a landmine whose source we have not yet been able to identify while they were looking for desert truffles in the badiya ‘desert’ of al-Bashri in western Deir Ez-Zour.
The area is currently under the control of Syrian regime forces. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident. We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas, and to locate and remove landmines planted in these areas. We have documented hundreds of deaths and injuries resulting from the explosions of landmines, which pose a long-term, serious threat, especially to children, which will last for years to come.
