ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A landmine explosion in Soran administration’s Sidakan subdistrict on Saturday killed a 24-year-old shepherd.

Osman Siddiq lost his life after a landmine exploded when he was herding his sheep in Bradost’s Saruka area. An official from the Kurdistan Region’s mine agency said that the area is a closed zone.

“The area that the young man went to is a closed zone, and our teams have previously alerted citizens and held seminars to inform the public that this area is dangerous and has not been completely demined,” Ali Miran, the technical director of the Mine Action Agency (IKMAA), told The New Region on Saturday.

At least 24 people have been killed in the Kurdistan Region due to landmine explosions since the start of the year, according to Miran. At least five people have lost their lives to landmines in Soran administration in 2025, while four others have been handicapped.

Every year during spring, people from urban areas flock to the countryside and mountainous regions for picnicking and harvesting wild herbs and plants, running the risk of encountering unexploded ordnance and sustaining injuries while navigating the rugged terrain.

A total of 776 square kilometers of the Kurdistan Region are contaminated with mines and remnants of war, of which 559 square kilometers have been demined, and 217 square kilometers remain, according to IKMAA.

Around 13,500 people have been killed or injured due to landmines in the Kurdistan Region over the decades, according to the agency.