BAKU: About 70 percent of mine incidents occurred outside the former contact line with Armenia, Vugar Suleymanov, chairman of the board of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), told reporters, Trend reports.

“One can observe the rapid restoration of territories liberated from occupation. The Agency is exerting maximum effort to expedite these efforts. Studies indicate widespread mine presence, with about 70 percent of incidents occurring outside the former line of contact. This suggests mines were planted even during non-conflict periods,” he said.

He stated that over 148,000 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines and other explosive remnants of war since November 2020.

“More than 124,000 mines and other explosive remnants of war have been detected and neutralized,” Suleymanov added.

To note, following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan began operations in November 2020 to clean its lands of mines, booby traps, and other weaponry left behind by illegal Armenian forces.

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ource: Trend News Agency