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20261102 140000 UTC
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[00:00:07] many types of mines
[00:00:19] It has been three days in a row.
[00:00:35] with the recent low
[00:00:40] intervened and conducted a comprehensive survey
[00:00:49] many dangerous types spread in Syria, way, much more dangerous than What are Syrians concerned about today, and what are the most prominent issues that are present in the details of their lives? We seek
[00:00:53] answers to these questions in a new episode of Ain
[00:00:56] Syria. Welcome, and here are the main headlines.
[00:01:08] an additional danger to Heavy floods and rains change the locations
[00:01:11] of mines and war remnants and increase the possibility
[00:01:15] eyes. Let me take of their presence in areas that were not previously classified
[00:01:18] as dangerous
[00:01:21] In fact, Katherine, the situation areas. The black field cricket
[00:01:25] invades villages in the countryside of Hasakah, and its widespread
[00:01:28] spread causes concern. Residents and drives families
[00:01:31] to leave
[00:01:33] of field crickets in
[00:01:36] The problem is very big. their homes. Lack of administrative services in
[00:01:38] Kafr Zeita in the Hama countryside adds burdens on residents
[00:01:44] difficulty in and forces them to travel outside the city to complete their transactions.
[00:01:48] semi-clean of
[00:02:00] Heavy floods and rains in several areas
[00:02:03] of Syria increase the risks of mines and unexploded ordnance,
[00:02:07] as water may sweep them away from their original locations
[00:02:10] or rebury them under new layers of
[00:02:13] soil, which makes it difficult to detect them or makes it difficult
[00:02:17] to detect them and threatens the safety of residents, even
[00:02:20] in areas that were previously
[00:02:23] heavily mined areas, despite surveyed and cleared. In the town
[00:02:26] of Hamaamiyat in the Hama countryside, a mine exploded a few
[00:02:29] days ago in a military bulldozer that was working south
[00:02:34] caused great fear and disgust of Tal Hamaamiyat, which led to its breakdown
[00:02:37] number of and a partial halt to demining operations, according to Muhammad
[00:02:41] the rains and sweeping water in Al-Hussein, a former member of the community committee
[00:02:43] in the town. Al-Hussein told Syria TV website
[00:02:46] that last season's rains caused large quantities of soil
[00:02:50] to be swept away from the surrounding hills
[00:02:55] base. The rule and accumulated a layer that was about
[00:02:57] one and a half meters thick over some mines and war remnants,
[00:03:01] despite the area being previously subject
[00:03:04] to survey and clearance operations. Al-Hussein
[00:03:08] means to deal with explained that floods may expose mines at some periods
[00:03:12] before reburying them
[00:03:13] and the front lines under new layers of
[00:03:15] there is no definitive solution soil, which makes
[00:03:16] signs. This danger their detection more
[00:03:18] of farmers to these difficult, especially when they become at depths
[00:03:22] exceeding the capabilities of the survey
[00:03:24] to combat this spread in devices used. greater productivity
[00:03:31] As a result of the recent
[00:03:37] and the massive quantities of these big, so today, according heavy rains that fell on all parts of Syria, we had huge floods and torrents, especially in desert areas,
[00:03:40] prevent the ability to as we saw on social media clips or that spread recently.
[00:03:43] These torrents may have swept away war
[00:03:47] remnants and mines in their path.
[00:03:50] I hope our civilian people and our civilian
[00:03:53] sisters do not approach these torrents, even if they
[00:03:56] Do not hesitate to report in case of encountering any strange object, and
[00:04:00] God willing, we will meet your needs and your reports, and the most
[00:04:03] important thing is that you remain in good health
[00:04:05] and safety. For details,
[00:04:07] is concern, especially in we have a group of our correspondents Mussab Al-Hint from Deir
[00:04:10] Ezzor, Alaa Al-Sweid from Hama,
[00:04:15] and it is swept away and Ibrahim Al-Sweid from Idlib. Welcome all of you. We start with
[00:04:19] Mussab in Deir Ezzor. It is one of the areas where
[00:04:22] mines are most
[00:04:24] be mined. Do not approach prevalent. How was it today after
[00:04:27] these floods that occurred in the area? To which
[00:04:31] areas did these
[00:04:32] are many mines drift?
[00:04:35] Good evening, Katherine, and to our esteemed viewers. In fact, the war
[00:04:38] and battles left behind a heavy
[00:04:41] legacy of death, let me
[00:04:44] say postponed death in eastern Syria, especially in Deir
[00:04:47] Ezzor province. Minefields
[00:04:50] and unexploded ordnance are spread over
[00:04:54] vast areas of the desert and agricultural lands
[00:04:58] in Deir Ezzor province. Some of them were detected
[00:05:02] and dismantled by engineering teams or a sign was placed
[00:05:05] not to enter them, but the majority are still
[00:05:09] buried and of unknown
[00:05:10] time, it means location, perhaps waiting for a wrong
[00:05:13] step to claim a new victim. In Deir
[00:05:16] Ezzor, Katherine, the price was paid
[00:05:20] by civilians alone, a farmer in his land, a shepherd following his flock,
[00:05:24] a child playing, a woman searching for truffles in the desert, all of them were
[00:05:28] victims of these explosions, explosions that were sudden. Hundreds of people from Deir
[00:05:31] Ezzor were killed or injured, and also amputees.
[00:05:35] These incidents occurred during simple daily activities
[00:05:38] without knowing that there was no mine
[00:05:42] or explosive device in these areas. Today,
[00:05:47] pressure system and the heavy
[00:05:50] rains and sweeping
[00:05:53] floods it brought, this issue has resurfaced in all
[00:05:57] of eastern Syria, and in a more dangerous
[00:06:00] before, especially after the warning from the Ministry of Emergency
[00:06:03] and Disaster Management and the Syrian Civil Defense.
[00:06:07] The warning was clear: the force of the floods
[00:06:10] is capable of washing away soil and moving these mines
[00:06:14] from one area to another. Katherine, let me tell you something very
[00:06:18] important. Previously, a local organization
[00:06:22] collaborated with an American organization, and a helicopter conducted
[00:06:25] a survey of part of Deir Ezzor province. They said that
[00:06:29] there were more than
[00:06:32] 200,000 contaminated points with mines. Meanwhile,
[00:06:36] the Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed Saleh, stated
[00:06:39] that Deir Ezzor province has more than half a million contaminated areas, between mines
[00:06:43] and explosive objects.
[00:06:48] In fact, according to what we learned from some international organizations, they said
[00:06:52] that Deir Ezzor province needs international intervention
[00:06:56] and also needs ten years to be clean or
[00:07:01] mines. In fact, there are minefields
[00:07:03] that were found and perhaps
[00:07:07] cleaned, but there are tens of minefields that we do not know where
[00:07:11] they are located in all of Deir Ezzor province. Today,
[00:07:14] when the floods ended, we went
[00:07:18] to some areas, especially the rural areas. The
[00:07:22] water was flowing very heavily, really sweeping floods.
[00:07:25] Certainly, according to what the Emergency and Disaster Management administration informed,
[00:07:29] it may have swept these mines from one area to another, especially
[00:07:33] the densely populated areas or areas that witnessed battles
[00:07:36] previously and some of them were cleared of mines, perhaps
[00:07:40] mines have returned to them in a new way.
[00:07:43] The mud and sludge in some areas is
[00:07:46] almost half a meter due to the
[00:07:50] sweeping water that was caused by
[00:07:54] the area. Today, the warnings are clear. Anyone
[00:07:58] who sees a strange object should not approach it, according to the
[00:08:01] Emergency and Disaster Management and Civil Defense administration, and should also inform
[00:08:04] the nearest
[00:08:07] is known: do not touch, do not approach, inform the nearest
[00:08:11] Civil Defense center or the Emergency and Disaster Management or engineering teams, whether
[00:08:15] by the way, there were teams at the beginning
[00:08:18] of the liberation in Deir Ezzor province, team 55 or 65, I do not
[00:08:22] remember the exact number, that were clearing mines
[00:08:25] locally, but they lost their lives.
[00:08:29] Only about 50 or 52
[00:08:32] people remained, even their leader died as a result
[00:08:36] of clearing some areas of mines.
[00:08:40] They sacrificed their lives to clear these areas and help
[00:08:43] the people. The issue is very
[00:08:46] to the warnings, the people should not approach
[00:08:49] any strange object. In Deir Ezzor, in the city, two children
[00:08:52] were playing with a strange object. They brought it home and hit it with a hammer, and it exploded.
[00:08:56] The child was killed, and another child's leg
[00:09:00] was amputated. This is a big problem facing the people of Deir Ezzor, Katherine.
[00:09:04] I will move to Hama with you, Alaa. Is there also
[00:09:07] a fear of mines moving from one area to another
[00:09:11] due to
[00:09:13] floods?
[00:09:17] Hello, Katherine. Indeed, there
[00:09:20] the areas of the eastern Hama
[00:09:23] countryside. The soil there is semi-desert,
[00:09:27] by floods and also by strong
[00:09:31] waters, and it also covers the mines
[00:09:34] in the area. There are large contaminated areas
[00:09:38] in the eastern Hama countryside and also in the Al-Ghab Plain
[00:09:42] where there
[00:09:45] lands contaminated with mines. Also in the northern Hama
[00:09:48] countryside, two weeks ago, Katherine, a child
[00:09:52] died and two other people were injured while
[00:09:55] they were working in olive harvesting. And this
[00:09:59] area, according to the responsible authorities, was surveyed
[00:10:02] before, and despite that, this mine exploded. And also two
[00:10:06] days ago, children were playing in the garden
[00:10:09] of the house with a cluster bomb also exploded.
[00:10:12] A child died and two other children were injured.
[00:10:16] And despite the fact that this family has been
[00:10:18] living in this house for a long
[00:10:23] that rains and floods and soil may
[00:10:26] cover mines and also pose an additional
[00:10:30] danger in those areas.
[00:10:33] In the town of Hamaamiyat, also in the northern Hama
[00:10:36] countryside, there are large areas contaminated
[00:10:39] with mines, and they are located
[00:10:42] near a hill, and this hill,
[00:10:46] with the rainfall, covers the mines, and war
[00:10:49] remnants may be swept to other
[00:10:52] areas. There is great concern among
[00:10:55] the residents, and they made several appeals, and we
[00:10:58] covered a protest by the residents there, and then
[00:11:01] the concerned authorities
[00:11:05] in the area, and until this moment, the campaign is ongoing.
[00:11:09] And with the beginning of the campaign, a mine exploded
[00:11:12] in a tractor
[00:11:15] or in a heavy vehicle working
[00:11:18] in the area and went out of
[00:11:21] service. This means that the contaminated areas
[00:11:25] pose a great danger to the residents, especially
[00:11:28] soil erosion and mine coverage may pose
[00:11:33] the mine-contaminated areas. Ibrahim, what about
[00:11:36] Idlib province? How does the map of mine distribution appear in which
[00:11:40] areas more?
[00:11:41] Yes.
[00:11:46] in Idlib province generally does not differ from other
[00:11:50] Syrian provinces, except that also, the area here
[00:11:53] has witnessed from time to time casualties among
[00:11:57] civilians as a result of the widespread
[00:12:00] mines, which are very hidden
[00:12:03] on the map. We are not talking today about
[00:12:07] officially known places where mines are present, but rather
[00:12:11] about the front lines that were previously with the overthrown regime's
[00:12:14] forces, meaning from areas of Al-Ghab Plain, in conjunction with the northern Hama
[00:12:18] countryside, from areas of the western Idlib countryside, specifically the Jisr
[00:12:22] Al-Shughour area and Jabal Al-Turkman in that area, reaching Al-Ghab Plain,
[00:12:26] reaching Jabal Al-Zawiya, the southern Idlib
[00:12:29] countryside, where I am now, and behind these areas, which were also
[00:12:33] among the areas most heavily mined, reaching
[00:12:36] the eastern Maarat Al-Numan countryside and the eastern Idlib countryside, reaching
[00:12:40] the western Aleppo countryside. This line, which
[00:12:43] is almost a semicircle, Katherine, was one of the most
[00:12:48] the presence of some survey campaigns
[00:12:51] conducted by Civil Defense teams and operations
[00:12:55] by engineering teams affiliated with the Ministry of Defense. However,
[00:12:58] there have been casualties since almost the fall of the Assad regime until
[00:13:02] now. We are talking about more than 60 civilians who died
[00:13:06] as a result of these mines. The last one was in April, four
[00:13:09] children in the southern Idlib
[00:13:12] countryside, and before that, three children in the Hbeit area, and then Civil
[00:13:16] Defense teams and engineering teams intervened, and also
[00:13:20] there were casualties from the Ministry of Defense as a result of working
[00:13:23] in that area. Therefore,
[00:13:27] in fact, what farmers primarily suffer from
[00:13:30] is the difficulty of accessing their agricultural lands,
[00:13:34] especially the areas here known for figs and olives,
[00:13:38] that had many mines. With the arrival
[00:13:43] areas, there are a number of explosions,
[00:13:46] in addition to children playing near
[00:13:50] their homes, especially in the town of Hbeit, when some
[00:13:53] children were playing near one
[00:13:57] of the schools, basically, the mine exploded
[00:14:01] and killed the three children. And after that, there were also
[00:14:05] four children playing near one
[00:14:08] of the old wells, but this well, unfortunately,
[00:14:12] also contained unexploded ordnance, and the explosion was very large
[00:14:15] in that area. Therefore, Katherine, there
[00:14:19] are maps that are still somewhat absent
[00:14:22] about the spread of these mines, but they are widespread
[00:14:25] in the eastern and western Idlib countryside and even in
[00:14:29] the southern Idlib countryside. However, according to preliminary
[00:14:32] information, the Minister of Emergency, Mr. Raed Saleh, said
[00:14:36] that there will be soon a map
[00:14:39] that will talk about the contaminated areas in all
[00:14:43] Syrian provinces, including Idlib, which also
[00:14:46] has high numbers of human casualties.
[00:14:50] Ibrahim, are there specialized teams for mine clearance working
[00:14:54] in Idlib?
[00:14:57] Yes, indeed, there are international organizations, such as Halo Trust, which
[00:15:01] we accompanied in one of our previous reports.
[00:15:05] It was working in Saraqib and areas
[00:15:08] in the eastern and western Idlib countryside, in addition
[00:15:12] to other organizations.
[00:15:14] However, there is also a government approach
[00:15:18] to have the work done through the Ministry of Defense, which works
[00:15:21] primarily in the southern Idlib countryside. We also
[00:15:25] accompanied the Ministry of Defense in the process of clearing
[00:15:28] these mines, but some
[00:15:31] locations that were known to the Ministry of Defense, Katherine,
[00:15:34] a very important point, when the aggression
[00:15:38] forces advanced to these areas previously, they found
[00:15:42] maps of these mines, so they were cleared. But other
[00:15:46] locations are still unknown until this moment,
[00:15:49] and therefore it is not possible to know all the locations
[00:15:53] where mines are present, but rather the reports
[00:15:56] that come from the residents about the presence of mines or even
[00:16:00] there is another type, we are talking about unexploded ordnance that
[00:16:03] spread from the camp area on the Syrian-Turkish border
[00:16:06] to areas in the southern Idlib countryside due to the continuous
[00:16:10] bombing for many years on Idlib areas. Therefore, there are still
[00:16:13] cluster bombs that have not exploded, there are bombs from warplanes that
[00:16:17] are still present in some areas, and the concerned
[00:16:20] authorities that are also working to clear them have been informed,
[00:16:24] and even the long-range missiles that used to fall here in the area.
[00:16:28] Thank you very much, Ibrahim Al-Sweid, you were with us
[00:16:31] from Idlib. And thanks also to our colleagues
[00:16:34] Alaa Al-Sweid from Hama and Musab Al-Han from Deir Ezzor.
[00:16:38] And about
[00:16:40] the topic, we are joined by Muhammad Muwais, Head of the Clearance Department
[00:16:44] at the Unexploded Ordnance Management of the Ministry
[00:16:48] of Emergency and Disaster Management from Damascus. Welcome,
[00:16:51] Mr. Muhammad. First of all, Mr. Muhammad, how
[00:16:55] do the mine clearance teams work
[00:16:59] with the absence of clear maps for mine
[00:17:02] distribution?
[00:17:05] Good evening everyone.
[00:17:07] In fact, today the suffering is great in dealing with
[00:17:10] the issue of mine clearance. The absence
[00:17:13] of these maps constitutes a major obstacle
[00:17:17] for the people who are carrying out this clearance. So we have great
[00:17:21] finding these mines or the clear
[00:17:25] locations that show the presence of these mines. So we always resort
[00:17:29] to technical survey of contaminated lands.
[00:17:32] We work very hard to reach
[00:17:36] the areas where mines are located so that we can determine the location of the mine
[00:17:39] so that we can remove this danger from
[00:17:43] our civilian people completely. If these maps were available
[00:17:46] completely for the mine distribution locations, the work would be
[00:17:50] much easier. It's not like having something
[00:17:53] random, contaminated,
[00:17:56] and unclear. So we are forced to put
[00:18:00] in more effort, more time, and more
[00:18:03] work to remove this danger from our civilian people completely. Oh, okay. And in this
[00:18:07] rainstorm that some areas in
[00:18:10] Syria witnessed, for example, in Deir Ezzor, a large
[00:18:14] mines were swept away. How will the
[00:18:18] new distribution of mines be known
[00:18:20] today, especially after the soil swept them away
[00:18:23] and soil accumulated thickly
[00:18:26] over them? In fact,
[00:18:29] the floods and rains that occurred recently
[00:18:33] and the floods that occurred in the desert areas greatly.
[00:18:37] As we saw two days ago, they swept away
[00:18:40] mines and ammunition very strongly
[00:18:44] from areas that were considered contaminated or previously
[00:18:47] marked with preliminary
[00:18:50] warnings and warning
[00:18:53] moved from dangerous areas to areas that were
[00:18:57] considered relatively safe previously.
[00:19:00] So this sweeping away of this ammunition actually
[00:19:04] poses a greater danger to us after
[00:19:07] the loss of land features, the loss of, excuse
[00:19:11] me, the loss of the warning signs that we had placed
[00:19:15] for these fields or contaminated areas. The immersion of this ammunition
[00:19:19] and mines
[00:19:22] to a very high depth in the soil will make it difficult to detect
[00:19:25] these mines or ammunition through technical search and metal
[00:19:29] detection devices. In fact, we are facing a major
[00:19:31] challenge, and it is very
[00:19:35] difficult, and things are difficult in
[00:19:39] these areas where soil erosion is occurring.
[00:19:42] Mines and ammunition are reaching valleys and riverbeds, and a lot
[00:19:46] of thickness is accumulating over them with soil
[00:19:50] and other things. So this matter is a very, very big
[00:19:53] obstacle for the work of mine clearance teams.
[00:19:57] So in these areas, do you have a new
[00:20:00] mechanism for mine
[00:20:04] clearance? Of course, today
[00:20:07] we will greatly increase the teams. We will go back
[00:20:11] and conduct non-technical surveys in the areas that were affected
[00:20:14] by floods, the areas that were dangerous. We will identify dangerous
[00:20:18] areas and prioritize less dangerous areas.
[00:20:21] We will identify riverbeds
[00:20:24] as very dangerous areas.
[00:20:28] Low-lying areas that had large water accumulations
[00:20:32] and large flood accumulations. After marking these
[00:20:35] areas completely, we will start, God willing,
[00:20:39] the technical survey operations, which will eventually lead
[00:20:43] us to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance.
[00:20:46] Uh, Mr. Muhammad, when we talk about the spread of mines,
[00:20:50] are we talking about a specific
[00:20:52] type of mine? No, of course. There are
[00:20:57] spread in Syria, anti-personnel mines
[00:20:59] and anti-vehicle mines, bounding mines,
[00:21:03] improvised explosive devices. There are many
[00:21:06] types that have spread
[00:21:08] in Syria, used by the former regime
[00:21:11] previously. Today, we have many
[00:21:15] currents, we have many conflicts
[00:21:19] in certain places, and control shifts from
[00:21:22] place to place. These areas spread
[00:21:25] with the forces that were supporting the former regime.
[00:21:28] Each supporting force had its own type of mines
[00:21:32] and its own type of devices. So we cannot specify today that the type of mines
[00:21:36] spread in Syria. We have
[00:21:39] each mine is more dangerous than the other. And in which
[00:21:43] governorates are mines most
[00:21:46] prevalent? In fact, all governorates
[00:21:50] in Syria were conflict zones for 14 years.
[00:21:53] So today, if we talk about contaminated areas, they are
[00:21:56] completely contaminated with ammunition and mines. But
[00:22:00] today, we can say that the areas that were front
[00:22:04] lines for many years are the areas with the highest
[00:22:07] mine prevalence, such as Idlib province from 2019
[00:22:10] to 2024, until the fall of the remote regime. It was a front line
[00:22:14] from Jabal Al-Turkman or Jabal in the Syrian
[00:22:17] coast to Aleppo countryside. All of these were
[00:22:21] front lines. So these areas had a large
[00:22:23] number of mines. The regime had randomly planted
[00:22:27] mines and an unimaginable number of
[00:22:31] hundreds of thousands of mines were planted in these areas, in addition to
[00:22:34] the desert areas, which also had a large number of mines. The eastern
[00:22:38] areas had many conflicts. We can say that all areas in Syria
[00:22:41] had conflicts and are contaminated, but the percentage
[00:22:45] varies between governorates. And what are the challenges
[00:22:48] you face today
[00:22:52] The major challenges, in fact, in the mine file are the lack of clear
[00:22:56] maps for the distribution and spread of mines completely.
[00:23:00] The spread of mines
[00:23:02] was
[00:23:04] random.
[00:23:06] The maps that were found are maps for some fields
[00:23:10] and have been cleared, such as areas in Idlib or Hama countryside.
[00:23:14] But the remaining mines were planted randomly,
[00:23:17] in a way that we are planting
[00:23:21] to kill people. Not necessarily, they were planting in places
[00:23:25] that they were tired of advancing on or retreating from, and so on.
[00:23:28] So the planting was random. This is one of the biggest challenges
[00:23:32] we face in the mine clearance file, the lack of clear
[00:23:36] maps for these fields. Uh-huh. And do you have sufficient
[00:23:38] and advanced equipment? Yes, today, we,
[00:23:42] as civil defense ordnance disposal teams,
[00:23:46] currently have technical equipment.
[00:23:50] We always strive for the best,
[00:23:53] of course. Technical matters in mine
[00:23:57] clearance are always evolving. Today, there are advanced
[00:24:00] drones, advanced detectors, advanced sweepers,
[00:24:03] and heavy machinery. We lack some of this equipment. We hope
[00:24:07] that in the future we will have this equipment to have
[00:24:12] and clear this danger faster and better.
[00:24:15] Okay, we are talking about mines scattered
[00:24:19] among civilian homes and also among
[00:24:23] farmers' orchards. How can farmers or
[00:24:26] even children protect
[00:24:28] themselves from these
[00:24:31] mines? Yes, today,
[00:24:35] the most common form we rely on
[00:24:39] is awareness messages or awareness sessions that we conduct, and awareness campaigns
[00:24:42] that we conduct in the community. Today, we are intensifying
[00:24:46] awareness campaigns in all Syrian governorates in the contaminated areas with ammunition
[00:24:50] and mines in order to raise awareness among people,
[00:24:53] among children, not to approach any strange object,
[00:24:56] not to attempt to touch or move it. And the same applies
[00:25:00] to agricultural lands. We always identify dangerous areas and
[00:25:04] less dangerous areas, and we warn civilians not to take
[00:25:07] unsafe or unused paths, and originally they had
[00:25:11] tall grasses that could
[00:25:14] former military barracks, bombed areas. All of these are
[00:25:17] dangerous areas where danger could be present. In addition
[00:25:20] to the work of our teams in clearing ammunition and mines continuously
[00:25:24] and daily around the clock.
[00:25:28] We wish you success and safety for everyone.
[00:25:31] Thank you very much, Muhammad Muwais, Head of the Clearance Department
[00:25:35] at the Unexploded Ordnance Management of the Ministry
[00:25:38] of Emergency and Disaster Management from
[00:25:40] Damascus.
[00:25:52] The southern Shaddadi countryside is witnessing
[00:25:55] an increasing spread of the black field cricket, which has invaded
[00:25:59] more than ten villages along the Khabur River,
[00:26:03] causing suffering for the residents, which led
[00:26:06] some families to leave their homes after
[00:26:09] failing to limit
[00:26:11] its spread.
[00:26:17] Today we are in the village of Al-Thalja. We are suffering from these insects.
[00:26:22] Of course, these insects have multiplied
[00:26:25] because our village is located on the bed of the Khabur
[00:26:29] River, and the Khabur River, you know, has
[00:26:33] salts, and I expect that these insects are a result of the salts and the agricultural
[00:26:36] lands that have not been cultivated for two
[00:26:39] years. So as a result of not being cultivated for two
[00:26:42] years, these insects have multiplied. After these rains
[00:26:46] that fell on us, the season of good that came to us, these
[00:26:49] insects appeared suddenly from this front.
[00:26:52] The first time they appeared, we said it was
[00:26:56] one or two days, but three days, by God,
[00:26:59] yesterday I got up and I was. I just
[00:27:03] want to say, I sleep in the black.
[00:27:07] By God, I felt like I entered the house. By God, I don't know what to say.
[00:27:11] From the chair here, God protect
[00:27:14] it from attacking. Oh, and you saw it with your own
[00:27:18] you to the room. Oh,
[00:27:20] by God,
[00:27:22] by God,
[00:27:27] For details, we have journalist Eid Al-Hilal from Hasakah.
[00:27:31] Welcome, Mr. If you could tell us about the spread
[00:27:35] Hasakah. Yes, hello, dear lady.
[00:27:39] Hello to all Syria TV viewers. Yes, after the recent wave
[00:27:43] of floods, swarms of what is known as the black
[00:27:47] field cricket invaded the villages of the Khabur
[00:27:49] line south of Al-Shaddadi to the east of
[00:27:53] Marqada district, extending over more than ten villages, including
[00:27:57] Sheikh Othman, Sheikh Hammoud, Al-Thalja, Al-Fadghami. This
[00:28:00] phenomenon is happening for the first time in the region. Its exact
[00:28:04] causes are unknown until this moment. Teams from the Ministry of Agriculture
[00:28:08] and the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management went
[00:28:11] to the site in an attempt to find out if these
[00:28:14] crickets are poisonous or
[00:28:17] germ-carrying, meaning they could cause a certain disease
[00:28:21] or a certain germ. They confirmed that they
[00:28:24] do not carry poisons or
[00:28:27] germs, but they are rather
[00:28:30] peaceful insects.
[00:28:32] However, their large numbers
[00:28:36] among the residents, which led them to flee
[00:28:39] their homes, leave them, and displace
[00:28:43] to neighboring villages. The numbers are very
[00:28:46] large and huge. It is believed it was present in tunnels
[00:28:50] present in the area, as the area was a theater of military
[00:28:54] operations for a certain period, and due to floods and the submersion
[00:28:58] of these tunnels, these cockroaches appeared for the first
[00:29:02] time. The area is witnessing suffering among residents.
[00:29:04] Teams from the Ministry of Agriculture and teams from the Ministry
[00:29:07] of Emergency are trying by all
[00:29:11] the issue. Given the rarity of such an
[00:29:14] event, or that it is happening for the first time,
[00:29:18] or a preventive measure for this incident
[00:29:22] so far. I mean, are there any teams trying
[00:29:27] the area?
[00:29:29] Yes, teams from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Emergency
[00:29:33] are trying to combat them using pesticides, but the
[00:29:36] widespread infestation
[00:29:39] cockroaches
[00:29:42] completely eliminate them
[00:29:46] The swarms, the numbers are estimated in the millions. Approximately
[00:29:49] more than ten villages have been completely overrun.
[00:29:53] The houses in these areas are known for their high population
[00:29:56] density, and therefore, many housing units, almost
[00:30:00] most of the housing units and houses are completely covered, I mean,
[00:30:04] with blackness, you see nothing but blackness, and it's a phenomenon happening for the first time, honestly.
[00:30:08] And what do the residents demand
[00:30:11] today?
[00:30:14] The residents demand that more specialized and more experienced
[00:30:17] teams come to deal with the situation. They demand that the government
[00:30:21] deal with it more seriously, raise awareness in such
[00:30:24] cases, and deal
[00:30:27] with this situation and work to return the people
[00:30:30] who left their homes because of
[00:30:32] these cockroaches by combating them through large
[00:30:36] and massive teams covering the area,
[00:30:40] covering the housing units within these areas.
[00:30:43] At least, yes, there is a response, but it is a slow
[00:30:46] and timid response, below the required level. And the issue has been going on for
[00:30:49] four days now, not just a day or two, to say that the matter is new, but
[00:30:53] the response is still local, meaning, we can say in general terms, within
[00:30:57] Al-Hasakah Governorate, from Damascus and the rest of the