60,000 hectares in liberated areas to be cleared of mines next year

Next year, 65,000 hectares of land in the liberated areas will be cleared of mines, Farhad Isayev, deputy director of the Education, International, and Public Relations Department of the ANAMA, said at a round table on the protection of persons with disabilities and landmine victims in Azerbaijan held in Baku on December 4, Report informs.

According to him, 113,698 areas have been cleared of mines in the last three years; 30,763 anti-personnel, 18,546 anti-tank mines, and 60,623 unexploded ordnance were detected.

"2,075 operatives, 63 mine-clearing vehicles, and 151 mine-detecting dogs were involved in the search. 50,000 hectares of land to be cleared this year have been determined. Next year, the work plan will cover 60,000 hectares," Isayev said.

He added that the state pays special attention to the fight against the threat of landmines: "For our people to return to their homeland, it is important to provide international support for the elimination of the landmine problem."