DAMASCUS (Xinhua) – A
total of 171 civilians have so far been killed in 2022 by explosions of the foreign-backed militants’ landmines and other ordnance left uncovered in previous war zones across Syria, a war monitor reported on Sunday.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 171 civilians, including 86 children, have been killed and 251 people, including 141 children, have been wounded by the explosives so far this year.
On Sunday, three children were killed by an explosive device in the village of Daba’a south of the central province of Homs, according to the UK-based watchdog group and the state news agency SANA.
Almost every week, the Syrian army detonates explosives it uncovers in various previous battle zones.
In June, the UN said explosive ordnance contamination represents a major protection concern, with one in two Syrians estimated to be living in contaminated areas.
In another development in the country, several explosions rocked a U.S. military base in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr on Saturday night, the country’s state news agency SANA reported.
Clouds of smoke followed the explosions that rattled the U.S. base in the al-Omar oil field in Dayr al-Zawr, SANA said, adding it hadn’t been clear about the nature of the explosions.
The nature of the latest explosions rocking the U.S. base has not been determined yet and there have been no immediate reports of possible casualties and material damage.
The sources added that the explosions were followed by an intense flight of the U.S. occupation aircraft over the area.
This is not the first time that the U.S. troops in the base have been the target of rocket attacks.
The base was attacked two times in a single day on August 25 with SANA reporting that several rockets had targeted U.S. bases at the al-Omar and Koniko oil fields in the countryside of Dayr al-Zawr.
The U.S. maintains a force of several hundred soldiers and military hardware in eastern and northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oil fields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s resources. Former U.S. President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in Syria for its oil