Agricultural farms, grazing areas, irrigation canals, residential areas, roads and footpaths, both in urban and rural areas, are contaminated. Mines are a major obstacle to repatriation, relief, rehabilitation and development activities. Afghanistan is one of the heaviest mined countries in the world.
How did landmines affect Afghanistan?
Dangers to Civilians
Landmines already kill or maim more civilians in Afghanistan than in any other country. Afghan civilians face injury or death on a daily basis because of mines and unexploded ordnance. In the year 2000, there were on average about eighty-eight recorded mine/UXO casualties per month.
What is significant about the landmines that are prevalent in Afghanistan due to Soviet occupation?
The presence of mines has often been cited as a major factor deterring refugees from returning to Afghanistan; tragically, landmines will now claim victims among those attempting to leave the country to avoid conflict.
What is the purpose of a landmine?
Most landmines are laid on or below the surface of the ground. Normally manufactured from durable materials such as plastic, bakelite, concrete, glass or metal, landmines are designed to survive the effects of weather, seasons and time. The purpose of landmines is to disable, immobilise vehicles or kill people.
Why are landmines used in war?
They were used defensively, to protect strategic areas such as borders, camps, or important bridges and to restrict the movement of opposing forces. A key characteristic of the weapon is that it is designed to maim rather than kill an enemy soldier.
How many landmines have been cleared in Afghanistan?
Humanitarian mine action partners in Afghanistan have cleared more than 18.9 million items of ERW, some 750,518 anti-personnel (AP) mines, and some 32,401 anti-vehicle (AV) mines since 1989.
What is life like for a woman in Afghanistan?
In some areas in Afghanistan, women may spend as much time working on the land as men do, but still often earn three times less than men in wages. In terms of percentage, women rank high in the fields of medicine and media, and are slowly working their way into the field of justice.
What country has the most landmines?
Egypt
Countries With The Highest Number Of Mines Deployed In Their Territory
| Rank | Country | Mines (Millions, estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 23 |
| 2 | Iran | 16 |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 10 |
| 4 | Angola | 10 |
How many mines did Russia leave in Afghanistan?
“The rumors were that there were between 10 million and 30 million land mines left behind in Afghanistan, mainly laid by the Russians but also laid by some of the mujahedin factions.
What are minefields?
Definition of minefield
1 : an area (as of water or land) set with mines. 2 : something resembling a minefield especially in having many dangers or requiring extreme caution a political minefield.
What happens if u step on a landmine?
There is a common misperception that a landmine is armed by stepping on it and only triggered by stepping off, providing tension in movies. In fact the initial pressure trigger will detonate the mine, as they are designed to kill or maim, not to make someone stand very still until it can be disarmed.
How many landmines does Afghanistan have?
10 million
For several years, the United Nations has estimated the number of mines in Afghanistan at 10 million.
Can you outrun a landmine?
You cannot outrun a mine, particularly a bounding mine that uses a primary charge to lift the mine out of the ground, before detonating a secondary charge that scatters metal balls or shrapnel in all directions. These pieces can be expected to travel faster than a rifle round and may go in any direction.
Can you pick up a landmine?
Once triggered and/or disarmed, the Landmine can be picked up by another player, the player has to stay there until another player comes to pick up the landmine. The Landmine goes off only after the player/entity steps OFF of it. It does not go off instantly as it is stepped on.
Are landmines banned in war?
Anti-personnel landmines are prohibited under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (or Mine Ban Convention), adopted in 1997. More than 150 countries have joined this treaty.
Are landmines still used today?
The majority of the countries remaining outside the treaty keep stockpiles that collectively total around 50 million landmines. If not destroyed, those landmines remain ready to be used any time. The biggest stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines are held by: Russia, Pakistan, India, China, and the United States.
Who did the US support in the Soviet vs Afghanistan war?
The Mujahideen were variously backed primarily by the United States, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Kingdom; the conflict was a Cold War-era proxy war. Between 562,000 and 2,000,000 Afghans were killed and millions more fled the country as refugees, mostly to Pakistan and Iran.
Are there refugee camps in Afghanistan?
6 (UNHCR) – A number of refugee camps inside Afghanistan continue to pose considerable security concerns for both their inhabitants and aid workers, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday.
How long can a landmine stay active?
50 years
Landmines are generally buried 6 inches (15 centimeters) under the surface or simply laid above ground. Buried landmines can remain active for more than 50 years. Landmines come in two categories, anti-personnel landmines and anti-tank landmines.
Where is the largest minefield in the world?
But the world’s longest minefield is actually just south of Morocco – and it was placed there by the Moroccans. Little known outside of Africa is the tiny territory of Western Sahara.
Are there landmines in the US?
Landmines have remained part of the battlefield landscape throughout virtually every U.S. and international conflict since. When the presence of what were then known as “torpedoes” became a problem for Civil War Union Gen.
