In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. Landmines have been planted indiscriminately over most of the country. That was when germany sent seven ied improvised explosive device and mine clearing systems to afghanistan that used wiesel. Manual clearance of residential areas is extremely dangerous. Unbacked mine clearing project in afghanistan reports 34 killed during 2014. It did, however, see minor service in afghanistan around kabul international airport. The vehicle is equipped with the combat dozer blade or cdb. In july, thompson, who worked for the companys mine clearing division on a u. In recent years, however, that funding has been dropping.
This company specializes in development of mine clearing equipment. In 2002, the german army purchased the machine seeing a need for a demining vehicle capable of clearing a larger area than the inservice keiler mine flail. Eleven afghan from one family were killed by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan sunday in a hotly contested district where the u. The grim reality of the mine situation in afghanistan can only be exacerbated by the current crisis. In afghanistan and cambodia it was estimated that a third of the land was unusable due to buried mines. In west kabul, we spearheaded one of the biggest urban clearance operations since wwii, allowing a city decimated by war to rebuild. It had a very short service life with the german army, being retired in 2014. The hydrema 910 mcv is a mine clearing vehicle, designed for clearing of placed or buried personnel or antitank mines with up to 10 kg explosive weight. The landmines are all located in a sand dune all the way south of da shago kallai. Mining in afghanistan is controlled by the ministry of mines and petroleum, which is headquartered in kabul with regional offices in other parts of the country.
Its mine awareness teams conduct trainings and distribute mine awareness notebooks, mine posters, silkscreens, mine identification books and mines visual story books. An afghan hell on earth for darkhorse marines a year ago, the marines of the 3rd battalion, 5th regiment arrived in sangin, a taliban haven in southern afghanistan, for a sevenmonth deployment. The task of clearing away the countrys hundreds of thousands of land mines falls to. Mines contaminate 33 of afghanistan s 34 provinces. In one clearing operation, the mcap dozer equipped with the mine rake unearthed four antitank at mines, which were daisychained together, without detonating them. Old mines bring new casualties in afghanistan hundreds of afghans, mostly children, are killed or injured each year from old mines and unexploded ammunition in unmarked areas. Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields, containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semiprecious stones, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals. Subsequent sections provide an overview of the mine action and land rights context in afghanistan. Kabul, afghanistan there is a landmine museum in kabul. Dec 16, 2019 wiesel was tested and evaluated by the u.
Mine clearing line explosive charge launches from company a, 4th brigade special troops battalion, 4th brigade combat team, 101st airborne division vehicle on route dodge, paktika province, afghanistan, feb. Apache near howzemadad, kandahar, afghanistan for op spinarwa. The convoy struck thirtytwo roadside bombs in thirty hours and preemptively destroyed dozens more. According to the united nations mine action service unmas, casualties from land mines and socalled explosive remnants of war have. A village demining concept was considered the best option. Ruth davidson works with scottish charity on mine clearing. Blast kills 11 afghans in mineclearance showcase area wsj. Nov 11, 2016 the book covers briefly the early mk i husky before focusing primarily on the mk iiis.
We work in partnership with the communities we serve. So far, the demining organizations or mine action program in afghanistan didnt decide to touch with the new mines. Afghanistan mine action programme launched in 1988, the unocha mine action programme for afghanistan mapa is committed to working to help afghans rid their land of these gruesome and sinister weapons. A mine clearance organization, or demining organization, is an organization involved in removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance uxo for military, humanitarian, or commercial reasons. Landmines take growing toll in afghanistan conflict arab news. The most infamous mine used during the soviet unions occupation period was the socalled butterfly mine. Despite huge progress in mine clearing, afghanistan remains one of the mostmined countries in the world. Two afghani brothers built a drone that detects and destroys. If you are to read just one book on the history of afghanistan then make it chicken street. Clearing residential areas poses numerous problems. The missions objectives, methodology and deliverables are summarised below. Become a mcsweeneys internet tendency patron today.
As of august 2012, ddg is operating with clearance of mines and explosive remnants of war in afghanistan, iraq, libya, somalia including somaliland, sri lanka, south. Humanitarian mine action actors in afghanistan have cleared more than 18 million items of erw, some 737,000 antipersonnel ap mines, including 760. The autocratic religious group is now committed to safeguarding chinas metallurgical groups copper mine in afghanistan. In afghanistan, clearing landmines to save lives pbs. An abv blade in the forest green color that a number of vehicles have been repainted in since their return from operations in afghanistan. A critical look at the commercialization of afghan demining centre. The route clearing procedure was to deploy a mine clearing line charge to destroy possible improvised explosive device. This vehicle is in simple dozing configuration, with all mineclearing equipment retracted. Repairing runways and clearing mines in afghanistan. Islamabad, pakistan saying that donations have dried up, the united nations announced friday it would cut by half its land mineclearing operations in afghanistan one of. Detail geneva international centre for humanitarian demining. Kabul, afghanistan in one of the bloodiest attacks in months on a nongovernmental organization, gunmen killed five members of a mineclearing team and wounded seven more in northern afghanistan on. Mines put afghans in peril on return the new york times. The book covers briefly the early mk i husky before focusing primarily on the mk iiis.
Jul 01, 2002 the mine clearing rake configuration was the preferred configuration since it was more likely to unearth and windrow the mines off to the side. It goes far beyond the problems after world war i or ii. At least 30,000 afghans civilians have been injured or killed by mines or other explosives since 1989, when mine clearing began. The forever war is one of the books about the war in afghanistan and iraq that gives a detailed account of how america deals with the challenges faced during the wars. Kabul, kandahar, balkh, herat other afghanistan provinces. Afghanistan is among the countries most severely affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance uxo. It is a tribute to those hazardously engaged in humanitarian mine action. News politics ruth davidson works with scottish charity on mine clearing trip in afghanistan ruth davidson has just returned from afghanistan where she has been witnessing the work being done by a. Nov 12, 2011 miclics clearing minefields of ieds in afghanistan. List of books and articles about landmines online research.
In afghanistan, clearing landmines to save lives pbs newshour. And once again, it serves as a salutary reminder that in afghanistan no one wins. Afghans have lived through decades of war and instability. Landmines and land rights in afghanistan global protection cluster. Although most recorded battlefields have been cleared, afghanistan remains one.
Behind american combat vehicles and mineclearing engineer elements, hundreds of afghan cargo trucks followed with containers full of american equipment. Mine clearing with line charges near kajaki, afghanistan. Land mines and their antecedents have been used on the battlefield from ancient times. Marines roll out assault breacher vehicles for marjah. M1150 assault breacher vehicle abv tank enyclopecdia. Because many mines have been used in builtup areas in afghanistan, new methods of mineclearance have been invented locally to deal with this.
Organization for mine clearance and afghan rehabilitation. Despite an effective demining program, and a well developed mines awareness. Despite huge progress in mineclearing, afghanistan remains one of the mostmined countries in. Marines in 2015 and an unmanned variant was a contender in us army robotic combat vehicle competition. Two afghani brothers built a drone that detects and. The vehicle is particularly useful for clearing dirt roads of mines, which is a big problem in afghanistan which has few paved roads. Further sections are then broken down on vehicle specifics, hull, front suspension, rear suspension, interior drivers compartment and then the. Meet the women on the frontline of demining afghanistan the. Most of our clearance work is done by hand but sometimes the terrain and nature of the debris makes clearing with machines more practical. Marines roll out assault breacher vehicles for marjah afghanistan offensive. Further sections are then broken down on vehicle specifics, hull, front suspension, rear suspension, interior drivers compartment and then the various attachments used in mine clearing. By employing local men and women, we create jobs and help families get back on their feet. China cleared by taliban to mine for copper in afghanistan. Afghanistan is considered by mine experts to be one of the three most heavily mined countries in the world.
The humandriven aardvark mineflailing vehicles used by. Demining includes mine clearance actual removal and destruction of landminesuxo from the ground, as well as surveying, mapping and marking of hazardous. Deminers face nightmare in afghanistan afghan network. Danger close mine clearing explosion in afghanistan youtube. Despite traveling the world for film roles and, recently, as a united nations goodwill peace ambassador to raise awareness for mine clearing efforts in afghanistan, renner remains close to his roots. The author was a foreign correspondent for the new york times, and gives a historical account of afghanistan and the taliban as it rose to power in the 90s. Founded in 1990, it initially operated in the western provinces of afghanistan, and has since branched out to the rest of the country. Miclics clearing minefields of ieds in afghanistan. By contrast, the goal of humanitarian demining is to remove all of the landmines to a given depth and make the land safe for human use. Unbacked mine clearing project in afghanistan reports 34.
The mineclearing rake configuration was the preferred configuration since it was more likely to unearth and windrow the mines off to the side. Danish demining group ddg was established in 1997 and today functions as a humanitarian mine action unit within the danish refugee council drc, hence benefiting from synergies in cooperation. Despite traveling the world for film roles and, recently, as a united nations goodwill peace ambassador to raise awareness for mineclearing efforts in afghanistan, renner remains close to his roots. The swissgerman firm that builds minewolf and two smaller models for more specialized mine clearing, are building on tracked mine clearing vehicles that first appeared during world war ii. The aardvark mine clearing vehicle was developed by aardvark clear mine ltd of united kingdom. Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. Mar 25, 2008 kabul, afghanistan in one of the bloodiest attacks in months on a nongovernmental organization, gunmen killed five members of a mine clearing team and wounded seven more in northern afghanistan on. Marines with 3rd combat engineer battalion, fire mine clearing line charges into treeline black near kajaki, afghanistan on oct. Bombing resumes in afghanistan world news the guardian. Because many mines have been used in builtup areas in afghanistan, new methods of mine clearance have been invented locally to deal with this. Dec 16, 2016 the autocratic religious group is now committed to safeguarding chinas metallurgical groups copper mine in afghanistan. The one time wiesel got much publicity was in 2010.
The aardvark is a dedicated vehicle, designed to clear antipersonnel and antitank mines with a maximum explosive weight of 10 kg during peacekeeping operations. Apr 08, 2007 kandahar, afghanistan, april 7, agence francepresse dozens of taliban militants attacked a mine clearing team in southern afghanistan on saturday, killing seven people, the police said. This report summarizes the main findings and recommendations from the afghanistan land rights and mine action mission that took place between 02 and 10 february 2012 in kabul. Sign up for free newsletters and get more cnbc delivered to your inbox. In 2017, the united nations mission in afghanistan expressed concern about a 65% jump in the number of children killed or wounded by explosive remnants as fighting has spread to heavily populated civilian areas. Landmines in war and peace and millions of other books are available for. State department estimates landmineunexploded ordnancerelated casualties at over 2,400 during the year 2000 and that nearly 948 square kilometers of land had been landmineuxocontaminated. Islamabad, pakistan saying that donations have dried up, the united nations announced friday it would cut by half its land mine clearing operations in afghanistan one of the heaviest mined countries in the world. According to the united nations mine action service, afghanistan has made some genuine progress toward its goal of freeing itself of landmines and other unexploded debris by 2023. This is the largest mineclearing task the world has ever faced, said andreas kohlschutter, a spokesman for prince sadruddin, in geneva.
Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields, containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semiprecious stones, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc, among many other. Demining work has taken place in afghanistan since 1989, clearing more than 18 million mines and explosive remnants of war, most of which. The humandriven aardvark mine flailing vehicles used by. Dec 29, 2019 in july, thompson, who worked for the companys mine clearing division on a u. Oct 31, 2011 an afghan hell on earth for darkhorse marines a year ago, the marines of the 3rd battalion, 5th regiment arrived in sangin, a taliban haven in southern afghanistan, for a sevenmonth deployment.
Two afghani brothers built a drone that detects and destroys landmines. Over the past 30 years, halo and the mine action programme of afghanistan have made safe almost 80 per cent of the countrys recorded minefields and battlefields. Referring results of land clearance to be registered in the property and tax books for the. Jul 17, 2012 old mines bring new casualties in afghanistan hundreds of afghans, mostly children, are killed or injured each year from old mines and unexploded ammunition in unmarked areas. Mine clearance teams in afghanistan report finding literally dozens of types of landmines, mainly from the exussr, but also from belgium, italy, us and the uk. In 2010, modesto junior college presented him the distinguished alumnus award in recognition of his body of work as an actor. Kabul, afghanistan the new nato offensive in helmand province marked not only the largest assault yet for the vm22 osprey, but also the combat.
643 209 968 187 692 1201 334 685 1159 1310 576 1471 1293 712 1305 1532 149 1302 1000 1256 475 962 1422 678 23 1031 1469 1426 668