Support the international campaign to ban landmines. Afghanistan marks the 15th anniversary of the withdrawal of soviet troops from the country on 15 february. Among the legacies of the soviet invasion, and the factional conflicts that followed the d. Encourage the warring factions within afghanistan to refrain from using. Afghanistan in literature fiction and nonfiction works set completely or partially in afghanistan. The soviet pmn and pmn2 blast mines contain a large. Afghanistan has an estimated 1015 million mines in place. Us air force, navy, and marine corps aircraft used gator cluster bomb units to deliver these mines, while the marine corps used a small number of artillerydelivered mines. Understanding landmines and mine action september 2003 prepared by robert keeley page 2 landmines and unexploded ordn ance. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured by landmines and the fighting continues to threaten livelihoods, forcing millions of afghans to flee their homes. Though exact types and quantities of mines transferred cannot be ascertained, types of mines from several countries have been found in afghanistan and are listed below in table 4.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At least fifty different types of mines have been identified in afghanistan of belgian, chinese, exczechoslovakian, iranian, italian, pakistani. Both have caused great suffering in the past decades. Social consequences of widespread use of landmines. At least fifty different types of mines have been identified in afghanistan of. Buried landmines can remain active for more than 50 years.
The aid group, halo trust, estimates there are up to 640,000 landmines laid in afghanistan since 1979. This appendix provides descriptions of currently available antipersonnel landmines apl and some antitank at mines that are part of mixed systems see table c1. From their origin to the present day kindle edition by croll, mike. Disarmament, citizen diplomacy, and human security. To the generalized horror of a war that has claimed 500,000 lives since 1979, there is thus added the special horror of toys of death. Cambodia is a country located in south east asia that has a major problem with landmines, especially in rural areas. A funky look at the impact of abandoned landmines in. Referring results of land clearance to be registered in the property and tax books for the preparation. The us used 117,634 landmines in iraq and kuwait during the 1991 gulf war.
It also houses a variety of other military hardware from wars fought in the country in recent decades. Although most recorded battlefields have been cleared, afghanistan remains one. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. During 2000 and 2001, afghanistan had the most reported landmine and unexploded ordnance casualties in the world.
Promoting peace with books, not bombs, in afghanistan and pakistan by. During the soviet occupation in 1979, landmines were deployed to depopulate provinces of afghanistan, disrupt the agriculture, interrupt transportation, damage economic infrastructure, and to kill. The horror of landmines afghanistan year 80 pov pbs. The most common types of antipersonnel mines in afghanistan frequently cause immediate fatality. Deminers face nightmare in afghanistan afghan network. Afghanistan is one of the three most heavily mined countries in the world.
As of 20, the only governments that still laid land mines were myanmar in its internal conflict, and syria in its civil war. Landmines come in two categories, antipersonnel landmines and antitank landmines. Many are left over from the soviet occupation of the country from 1979 to 1989. The omar mine museum in kabul displays 51 of the 53 types of landmines used in afghanistan. There are an estimated 100,000 landmines in afghanistan. A musthave survival guide for your christian journey. Landmines have been planted indiscriminately over most of the country. Landmines in war and peace and millions of other books are available for. Within each of these categories, there are many subcategories. Mines pose a big danger to refugees returning home by passing through provinces. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading landmines in war and peace. Death and injury from landmines and unexploded ordnance in. Human rights watch arms project fact sheets, nations calling for a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel landmines, april 1996 and january 1996.
An antipersonnel landmine is designed to injure or kill a person, while. Many of the types developed during ww2 were copied and developed further to. Antipersonnel landmines are prohibited under the convention on the. Though the ieds used against american soldiers in iraq and afghanistan are. Humanitarian mine action actors in afghanistan have cleared more than 18 million items of erw, some 737,000 antipersonnel ap mines, including 760 voieds. Landmines pose an everpresent danger to civilians now attempting to flee the country or areas of. The most infamous mine used during the soviet unions occupation period was the socalled butterfly mine. Ban all antipersonnel landmines human rights watch. In afghanistan, landmines claim between 20 and 25 victims a day. Mines and unexploded ordnance are located in almost every conceivable type of terrain in afghanistan. Landmines take growing toll in afghanistan conflict arab news. Afghanistan has suffered greatly from war since 1978, and all sides to the various armed conflicts have used antipersonnel mines, particularly soviet forces and the afghan government from 1979 to 1992.
The role of pakistan, russia, and iran in fueling the civil. For military, different wars mean different injuries. The arms project of human rights watch and physicians for human rights. The united nations hopes that the warravaged afghanistan would be cleared of deadly land mines by 2009 if funds for the demining campaign is received without any hindrance. Landmines, livelihoods and postconflict land rights reliefweb. The halo trust demining group says it has cleared afghanistans herat province of landmines as part of a 10year project funded by the british government. A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy. In a twomonth funky winkerbean story line that begins on july 4, 2005, batiuks comic strip explores the alltooreal consequences of postconflict environments. One hundred million landmines are found in 64 countries, most of them in developing world with an estimated 10,000,000 landmines in afghanistan. List of books and articles about landmines online research. Such a device is typically detonated automatically by way of pressure when a target steps on it or drives over it, although other detonation mechanisms are also sometimes used. Land mines are currently used in large quantities mostly for this first purpose, thus their widespread use in the demilitarized zones dmzs of likely flashpoints such as cyprus, afghanistan and korea. Helping you navigate the devils minefield, stanley shows how to identify, avoid, and defuse seven explosive booby traps that can derail your faithpride, jealousy, insecurity, compromise, unforgiveness, sexual sin, and laziness. The only solution to this global pox, is a total, worldwide ban on the manufacture, sale, storage, and deployment of antipersonnel landmines, through the united nations, and supported by the united states.
William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. Afghanistan, angola, cambodia, iraq, and laos were believed to be the nations worst affected by land mines. How landmines became such a hit in wars around the world and how a gathering storm of protest has moved us closer to a ban. Types of mines found in afghanistan and their origin. The biggest threats troops face in iraq and afghanistan are landmines, improvisedexplosive devices and other roadside explosives, glasser says. The afghan campaign to ban landmines acbl includes numerous ngos involved in demining, minesawareness, and the medical response to landmines in afghanistan. Major military and civilian positions were mined, including the cities of herat, kandahar, jalalabad and khost. Today, mine clearance teams in afghanistan still find literally dozens of types of landmines, mainly from the former soviet union, but also from other parts of. The cambodian mine action centre cmac estimates that there may be as many as four to six million mines and. The mine action center for afghanistan recorded more than 12,000 casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war between 1999 and 2008, but casualties are likely to be underreported due to. The cartoon, which is distributed today by king features syndicate, has already begun to set the stage for the july 4th launch date. I learned a few interesting facts about the history of land mines and mines in general, but as the book moves into the current state of affairs, humanitarian demining, and the future of mine use and demining, it becomes less about presenting information and more about what may the authors personal beef with the international campaign to ban landmines and alternative demining methods.
Organisers of the conference aim to put pressure on the afghan government to sign the 1997 ottawa treaty which bans. Afghan national army engineering teams and bomb disposal units launched operations to clear landmines in different provinces since early saturday. Best nonfiction war books, around the world one book from each country, best iraq and afghanistan war books, best books on special forces m. Landmines are generally buried 6 inches 15 centimeters under the surface or simply laid above ground. Of these, 27,967 were antipersonnel mines and 89,667 were antivehicle mines.
These landmines are not just from the taliban and alqaeda fighting us and coalition forces. The event, run by the international campaign to ban landmines icbl, will be hosted by afghanistans new transitional government. Are you aware of the hidden dangers planted by satan along your spiritual path. In afghanistan, mines are quite literally everywhere. Most of the land was mined from 1979 to the present day and is especially heavy along borders with iran and pakistan. A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Nearly forty years of conflict have left afghanistan with a deadly legacy of landmines and other explosives. This is the legacy of three decades of war which has taken a severe toll on the cambodians. Over 30 different types of mines have been found there. Jody williams in icrc report of the symposium on antipersonnel mines. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, posing an everpresent danger to civilians. For example, a fragmentation mine is a type of antipersonnel mine that sprays metal fragments.
No wonder the soviet bloc tries to defame the messenger. In afghanistan and cambodia it was estimated that a third of the land was unusable due to buried mines. 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. Detail 4 estimated 50% of afghan villages were destroyed, and an estimated 25% of paved roads destroyed deminers have found the valmara 69 mine, made in italy in afghanistan 10 facts about landmines in afghanistan types of mines scatter bombs directional fragmentation mines. Statement of the islamic emirate of afghanistan on the problem of landmines, 6 october 1998.
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