Today, 4th April marks the international day for “Mine awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.”

On this occasion, the Kurdistan Region's general directorate for mine action said, “Due to the past conflicts in the Kurdistan Region, we have 255 square kilometers of contaminated land need to be cleared and it needs substantial financial assistance that currently the KRG is unable to provide.” 

The agency added, “so for there have been more than 13,500 civilian casualties.”

The agency advised the public to stay away from land mines and avoid visiting contaminated areas, and not mess with land mines they encounter.  

On the border between Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat) and Kurdistan Region, the number of casualties due to mine explosions in 2021 increased by %32 compared to 2020, a human rights group said on Monday (April 4).

Last year 12 people have died and 38 others wounded due to mine explosions occurred on the border between Rojhelat and Kurdistan Region, Hengaw Human Rights reported.

Rojhelat’s Ilam province was the most affected where four people died and 15 others wounded due to mine explosions.  

The speakers at the forum explained that the forum aims to revive the PUK and reform its organization. Challenges, opportunities, and solutions were presented for discussion.

Papers have been prepared to guide PUK's future decision making and policies. The forum aims to modernize policy making within the PUK, and expand the circle of participation.

Arez Abdullah, a member of the PUK forum high council, stated, “By mid-May 2022, we will hold PUK general forum. All recommendations and briefs from our comrades and colleagues will be presented to the PUK leadership.”

Abdullah also added "the forum aims to renew PUK’s policies towards governance, domestic, and foreign relations, and how to better serve our people."

Last March, two border couriers were shot dead, and 31 couriers and businessmen were wounded. Almost half of the victims were shot by Iranian border guards,  according to a report by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. 

The report also mentions that 28 of the victims come from Kermanshah province of Iran. 

Every year tens of border couriers are either killed or wounded on the dangerous borders between Iran and Iraq. Last year 54 couriers were shot dead with 170 wounded. 

The Kurdistan Region’s oil fields produced more than 37 million barrels of oil in the four months of 2021. The barrels were sold at an average price of $68.43  a barrel, according to the 10-page Deloitte’s report, that runs in three languages. 

These figures are similar to the third quarter of 2021. The Kurdistan Region produced more than 38 million barrels of oil during that time frame at an average price of $62.87 a barrel, according to Deloitte. 

This was not the only promising news for the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector recently. This week, Gulf Keystone Petroleum announced that its profits for 2021 nearly tripled to $301.4 million. Gulf Keystone Petroleum operates the Shaikan field in the Kurdistan Region. 

In Iraq, the state-owned Iraqi Drilling Company signed this week a cooperation agreement with Azerbaijan’s state energy firm. The three-year deal specifies that the two entities cooperate on oil drilling. The Iraqi Drilling Company is seeking international help to expedite up its drilling activity and implement modern technology, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil said in a press release.