In the Blink of an Eye
Returning to your village in Syria can be life-threatening. Osama, 22, stepped on a mine when he entered an abandoned house. He lost his leg.
Osama at home after his amputation | © HI
Mines in abandoned villages
In a quiet village in Al-Karama subdistrict, 22-year-old Osama Hussein worked as a day labourer to support his wife and two children, aged three and one, hauling heavy loads to put food on the table.
In April 2025, Osama had gone to help a friend clean an abandoned house in Al-Jadidat village. “I entered the house before my friend, and the landmine exploded at the door,” he recalls. “I was thrown outside. I looked down and saw my leg bleeding.” The explosion led to the amputation of his right leg below the knee.
Taken by a private car to the hospital, Osama underwent emergency surgery. When he regained consciousness, his world had changed. “I woke up and saw that my leg had been cut.”
Osama’s ability to work
Before the accident, Osama dreamed of a better life. “I lived a stable life and hoped to find a suitable job that would improve my income,” he said. But his new disability has robbed him of his ability to work, to walk without assistance, and to care for his children the way he used to. “I can’t work, I can’t jump, I can’t even go to the toilet alone,” he says with painful honesty.
Osama describes being hit with a deep emotional shock and a sense of despair triggered by the sympathetic looks he receives in his community. “I lost hope in life. But my family stood by my side—they helped me survive the trauma.”
People who return are at risk
Osama is not alone. In Raqqa and across Syria, landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to endanger lives long after the fighting stops. He knows others who have been injured in similar accidents. These invisible threats are scattered across homes, fields, and streets, waiting silently to destroy lives in an instant.
Osama is receiving support from HI at the Raqqa National Hospital. With assistive devices and regular rehabilitation sessions, he is learning to navigate his new reality. “The crutches helped me walk again. Now I’m waiting for a prosthetic leg.”
His goal is clear: “I want to work again to support my family. The most important thing for me is to find a job or start a small project that can give me a stable income.”
To others who face similar hardships, his message is simple and strong: “Never lose hope. Life must be lived, no matter the circumstances.”
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The Massive Challenge of Demining in Syria
It will take decades to clear the territory, as the contamination is extensive.
Studies to assess the full extent of the problem will take time. Yet, the situation has become particularly urgent in places like Deir-Ezzor, Idlib, and Aleppo, which have been affected by nearly 14 years of civil war.
Underwater demining operations will be crucial to ensure restoration of water wells and rivers, essential for consumption and irrigation, as will those in urban and rural environments. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, landmines and explosive remnants of war have caused more than 1,100 casualties, including nearly 500 deaths. These figures are likely far below the actual numbers.
Many people have undergone amputations due to explosions. A quarter of the nearly 600 reported accidents occurred in Deir-Ezzor, due to difficult access for humanitarian workers during the war, the region's role in the conflict, its agricultural land, and the presence of only one hospital.
Three out of five victims are men. Two-thirds of the incidents occur on agricultural or unused land.
Another concern is that residents sometimes attempt to clear mines themselves, despite lacking the necessary equipment and expertise—putting themselves in grave danger.
