BBC NEWS | In Pictures | Clearing landmines in Iraq

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10:26 GMT, Friday, 29 August 2008 11:26 UK

Clearing landmines in Iraq

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The Iraqi government says there are 25 million unexploded mines across the country. Most are in Iraq's border areas, stretching from Turkey and Iran in the north down to Kuwait in the south.

Preparing landmines for demolition

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The mines were laid during the Iraq-Iran war from 1980-88, the first Gulf War in 1991, and the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 which toppled Saddam Hussein.

Deminers in northern Iraq

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Iraq signed the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines in 2007. However, the poor security situation has delayed some mine clearance operations. This technician is working in northern Iraq.

Photo: Sean Sutton

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The presence of landmines has meant farmers have lost access to thousands of hectares of land. Deminers prepare for a day's work very close to the Turkish border in north west Iraq.

A child alerts a demining team to something suspicious

A child alerts a demining team to something suspicious

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Children near Dohuk report some items they have been taught to recognise as dangerous. Education is a key part of the the Mines Advisory Group's work. The items turned out to be cluster bombs.

Shells in Iraq

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These shells are remnants of the conflicts in Iraq over the past 30 years. The Iraqi government says there are still about 4,000 minefields across the country.

Photo: Sean Sutton

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The view from the bottom of a mine detector. All photos: Sean Sutton/MAG (Mines Advisory Group).

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