DEH ZABZ, Afghanistan -Millions of mines and unexploded pieces of ordnance still kill or maim around 100 people a month in war-ravaged Afghanistan, a demining group said on Monday.Afghanistan remains one of the worldÂ’s most mined countries despite the internationally backed efforts involving 10,000 people employed to destroy the devices, a representative of the Halo Trust told reporters. Millions of landmines were laid by the Russian military during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation and during the subsequent civil wars between resistance commanders.
The devices still threaten the lives of more than 4.2 million Afghans, or about a quarter of the population, said Farid Homayoun, country director of the British-founded Halo Trust. “There are at least 100 mine accidents per month, which is an unacceptably high figure,” Homayoun said at a ceremony to mark the United Nations Mine Action Awareness Day to be observed on Tuesday.
Since the 2001 toppling of the Taleban in a US-led invasion, the number of mine accidents had dropped by 50 percent due to extensive demining, he said, predicting the country would be free of mines by 2013. Homayoun said most of the mines were laid along highways, around former military bases and other government installations, as well as in villages and on farmland.
Afghanistan, which has endured decades of ruinous conflict, has signed the Ottawa Convention banning the use, trade and production of landmines. Based on the document, it must destroy its mine stockpiles before March 2007. Serious action would be needed to meet this deadline because Afghanistan had so many stockpiles, said Shohab Hakimi, head of the countryÂ’s anti-mine campaign.
Despite the toppling of the Islamist Taleban government more than four years ago, Afghanistan is still plagued by violence with a Taleban-led insurgency killing scores of people every month. Ten deminers have been killed or wounded by improvised explosives laid by the Taleban in their attacks on US and Afghan targets, Homayoun said.
| The Taliban are helpful on so many fronts, aren't they. |