#Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC)

[mineaction]

AFGHANISTAN - Around 100 deminers along with their technical equipment including (metal detectors, visors, and armor jackets) will be displayed/ paraded.

The IMAD commemorations in Afghanistan will be led by the Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) and the mine action implementing partners on 4 April in Kabul. UNMAS Afghanistan and other key stakeholders will participate in the event. On the day around 100 deminers along with their technical equipment including (metal detectors, visors, and armor jackets) will be displayed/ paraded. There will also be an exhibition area for demining equipment, risk education and victim assistance.

[cisrjmu]

By Alexander Tan [ Issue 23.3 ]

The first abandoned improvised mine (AIM) uncovered by HALO clearance teams in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan. Image courtesy of The HALO Trust.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been widely used in Afghanistan since the mid-2000s, presenting a significant and life-threatening hazard to the civilian population. As areas become free from conflict and permissible for humanitarian clearance, an effective response is required to protect civilians. With the support of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Federal Foreign Office, and in coordination with the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination (DMAC; the Afghan national mine action authority) and other stakeholders, The HALO Trust (HALO) has developed and implemented a successful proof of concept for manual clearance of victim operated IEDs (VOIEDs). While VOIEDs are cleared in other countries and have previously been cleared in Afghanistan, this project, delivered in Helmand province, has provided the opportunity to develop and test safer and more efficient methods for the targeted humanitarian clearance of abandoned improvised mines (AIM) in the current Afghan context. This article explains the path HALO has taken to deliver the proof of concept, some of the results so far, and future plans for supporting the sector.

THE AFGHAN CONTEXT

IEDs as Part of the Afghan Conflict. After the coalition of international military forces removed the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 2001, the regular and increasing presence of international military forces in the country encouraged armed opposition groups (AOGs) to adopt increasingly asymmetric tactics. The use of IEDs increased as conventional munitions became less available and effective against the technologically-advanced international military forces. Since this time, IEDs in Afghanistan have resulted in the death of thousands of civilians, of which a large proportion were inflicted by VOIEDs.

Terminology. In Afghanistan, the mine action sector has agreed that VOIEDs that function like conventional mines shall be known as improvised mines. They adhere to the definition found in the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC): “a mine designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person that will incapacitate, injure or kill one or more persons.��� In Afghanistan, the term AIM is used when improvised mines are no longer part of the active conflict.1

Keep reading ...