Fourteen soldiers were killed on Friday during operations to defuse unexploded ordnance in Iran’s northwestern Zanjan province, local media reported. Following enemy airstrikes using cluster bombs and aerial mines, parts of Zanjan province, including about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were contaminated by bombs.
Fars news agency reported, citing the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, that specialists were working to clear the areas and had neutralised more than 15,000 items. However, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and 2 were injured.
Iran has previously accused the US and Israel of using cluster munitions, which explode in mid-air and scatter smaller bomblets — some of which fail to explode, creating a danger that can last for decades. Israel has also accused Iran of using the munitions in its missile strikes on Israeli cities. Iran, Israel and the US have all declined to join the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their use, transfer, production and storage.