“A landmine that had been planted by ISIL exploded in the Hafayer town South of Hasaka, causing the death of three people from one family,” said human rights activist Wael al-Muhssin, ARA News reported.
The explosion, which took place in a public square in the town, also led to the injury of four people, including a 13-year-old boy, two women and a man.
“The wounded were transferred to the Azizieh Hospital in Hasaka for treatment,” an eyewitness told ARA News.
The town of Hafayer and other parts of Hasaka Province were liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last February, subseuquent to heavy clashes with ISIL.
Unexploded devices pose a daily threat to civilians in the cities and towns liberated for ISIL.
Similar cases were reported in Kobane and Manbij, where dozens of civilians died in explosion of landmines planted by ISIL terrorists before losing those areas to the Kurdish YPG forces and allied SDF troops.
Abdulrahman Hemo, head of the reconstruction board of Kobane, told ARA News that the explosives continue to threaten civilian lives.
“Until now, 50 per cent of the civilian death toll in Kobane was caused by explosives in the ground,” he said.
The ISIL terror group has been on the back foot for months, losing hundreds of villages and towns in Northern Syria. As the militants withdraw they are planting landmines, near communities and along public roads.
Unmarked explosive devices have killed dozens of people in Hasakah Governorate, especially in area out of cities where civilians are often unaware of the danger. The landmines also hamper resettlement efforts and preclude crop cultivation.
218-11