The presence of increasingly-deadly explosive hazards in liberated areas of Iraq are hindering efforts to rebuild and provide vital aid to families who are returning home, according to a senior manager with the UN Mine Action Service there (UNMAS).

UNMAS told UN News that its teams are working with partners in the “most complex and challenging environment imaginable”, to survey and clear these threats.

So-called “evil genius” tactics used by the ISIL, or Daesh, terrorist group, have significantly aggravated the situation.

Thousands of explosive devices were prepared in advance to prevent people from returning, and they remain buried in rubble, or hidden in homes. 

Pehr Lodhammar, Senior Programme Manager for UNMAS in Iraq, told Bronwen Cowley about the “industrialized” range of life-threatening explosives confronting them.