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| Africa North |
| Militants “surrounded” in Gwarsha and Ganfouda but mines now the main problem |
| 2016-04-22 |
| Benghazi, 21 April 2016: The last remnants of the Ansar Al-Sharia are blockaded in Gwarsha and Ganfouda and cannot escape, Libyan army chief of staff spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mismari has told the Libya Herald. “All roads in and out are blocked”, he said, adding that the way to the sea was now fully in army hands. They were a lot of snipers in Gwarsha, he said, and they were a problem, but predicted that the army would capture the two areas “in a few days”. Al-Nabaa TV has claimed, however, that a number of fighters from the Benghazi Revolutionaries’ Shoura Council which is dominated by Ansar, have moved back into Garyounis, supposedly cleared of them by the army earlier this week. The TV station has until now supported the militants in Benghazi against the army. One army commander, Colonel Abdullah Al-Shaafi, who headed the Hurriya Training Centre, was shot dead yesterday in Gwarsha by a sniper. Earlier reports that he had been killed by a mine were incorrect, Mismari said. Mines “are the biggest problem”, he said. Four commanders alone had been killed in the past few days by mines, among them yesterday Serraj Eltera who a,cted as spokesman for the military engineers. The army lacked sufficient both sufficient equipment and engineers to detect and disable mines, Mismari said. Ansar Al-Sharia and its allies heavily mined and booby trapped places they occupied. The Hawari cement works, despite now being cleared of militants, is carpeted with mines which, the army says, has been the main reason why it has held back from fully entering it. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #2 carpeted with mines Some long time ago I remember seeing some thermal imaging predictive analysis for mine placement. Older technology in a different landscape warmed up slower and retained a heat signature longer than the local soils. Placement protocol templates were also often used to optimize coverage. Now the materials have changed and the landscape of interest is simply too hot for differential measurement. Pattern analysis fails because the mines are randomly placed or have migrated over the years due to surface conditions. Imaging surface density properties with minidrone sensors and an airborne illuminator continues to hold some promise. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-04-22 10:33 |
| #1 Drop a bomb in the middle and they'll scatter, hopefully taking care of the leftover mines in the process. |
| Posted by: gorb 2016-04-22 01:36 |