HARASTA, December 13. /TASS/. Syrian sappers have found and defused around 50% of the mines planted by militants in residential and commercial buildings in East Ghouta during the war, commander of the sapper unit tasked with demining the suburbs of Damascus Mayas Mahmoud Issa told reporters.

"Syrian sappers have found around 50% of mines and bombs used by militants in East Ghouta during the war. We continue our search, including with the help of Russian military police. One of the main tasks is to look for mines and ammunition in debris," Issa said.

The fact that many houses in East Ghouta are destroyed significantly complicates the work of sappers, he noted. "That's why it is hard to say how much time we will need to finish demining. We will work as long as necessary in order to completely clear East Ghouta of mines and ammunition," he added.

Improvised mines and bombs were found in a commercial building in the city of Harasta, in the vicinity of Damascus, Issa said. "The building where the administration of Rif Damashq governor was headquartered, was seized by militants during the war. There we found a large batch of ammunition - improvised mines, bombs and grenades," Issa said adding that Russian military police assisted in the operation.

He noted that found ammunition was transported to a part of Harasta that will not be renovated.

"We used ammunition to detonate a multi-story building that is supposed to be demolished. Our task is to ensure safety for people returning to their homes, and to help construction workers in demolishing dilapidated and damaged houses," Issa noted.