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Photos: Double amputee veteran Peshmerga rids Iraq of scattered mines
A landmine explosion in 1989 and then another five years later claimed both legs from Hoshyar Ali, a former Peshmerga forces general. In the decades since, Ali has been travelled all over the Iraqi Kurdish territory raising awareness about the dangers of mines among young students and more importantly dedicated his life to clearing the conflict riddled region of landmines left behind by warring forces. Ali’s decades of near daily work has seen over a million pieces of explosive armament pass through his hands, and he shows no signs of stopping.
Updated on: Jan 19, 2019 10:03 AM IST
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Hoshyar Ali, who lost both legs in landmine explosions, walks in a minefield trying to deactivate the devices on the outskirts of the Kurdish town of Halabja, Iraq. A former Peshmerga general, Ali lost his legs in mine explosions on two separate occasions during Saddam Hussein’s regime. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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After losing his first leg in 1989 to an Italian made mine in the Bamo region near Iran and the Iraqi Kurdish province of Sulaymaniyah, Ali retired from service and began what has become decades of travelling around Kurdistan, dismantling explosive devices. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Deactivated mines are seen at Hoshyar Ali’s home. Various reports estimate that Ali has over the years defused over a million mines in the region, a figure local authorities and Ali himself uphold, considering that he works nearly every single day. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Hoshyar Ali displays deactivated mines at his home. Five years after losing his first leg, an American-made mine exploded while Ali was clearing a field. A Japanese flag still hangs in his home as a sign of gratitude for the rehabilitation and prosthetics the nation’s government provided him in the immediate aftermath. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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An emotional Hoshyar Ali sits near the site of an explosion that claimed his leg in the Hawar area on the border between Iraq and Iran. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Hoshyar Ali points to the tomb where both his legs are buried in the Kurdish town of Halabja, Iraq. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Ali refers to newspapers that have published his story about the loss of his limbs, at his home. He also lost his parents and sisters to chemical attacks during the Anfal Genocide during the Saddam regime and later lost a son, aged 15, to a car accident. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Hoshyar Ali is seen with others collecting deactivated mines. His years of combats service behind him, Ali has nevertheless left his contact information with local security forces in case the need for his expertise arises. Nowadays, he mostly clears IEDs left behind by Islamic State fighters. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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Hoshyar Ali with his family at his home. As part of his mission to rid the area of mines Ali also visits local schools, taking workshops for students about safety and preparedness against explosives. He has also visited Vietnam to share his expertise. (Ako Rasheed / REUTERS)
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