Even urban areas are not
safe in Afghanistan. Now that schools have reopened, parents
of school-going children, especially in the outskirts
of cities like Kabul, experience anxiety as an identified
portion of the area still contains mines, writes Shamim-ur-Rehman.
Almost everyday in Afghanistan
- which has been brutalized not only by external powers
but also by its numerous warlords - civilians fall prey
to any one of the millions of landmines laid by the combatants
since the time of the Soviet invasion more than two decades
ago. Women and children are the worst affected. Rehabilitation
of the people worst hit by landmines has become a colossal
social problem. One can find a large number of Afghanis,
who have been affected adversely by the war, in their
own country as well as in Pakistan.
The situation is reflective
of the global community's failure to fulfil its responsibility
regarding efforts being taken to de-mine the area and
make the country safe for the people. The collapse of
infrastructure in Afghanistan has impeded the setting
up of treatment facilities for the victims. In Pakistan,
the mishandling of international funding for Afghan refugees
has added to this problem. The war on terror has further
obscured this human tragedy.
While unspecified numbers
were killed in military actions, a sizable number of people
were crippled, mostly by the mines, which the warring
factions had laid. Even the movements of the coalition
forces are restricted. This was evident at the Bagram
Air Base and its outskirts. A vast area was fenced to
keep people away.
De-mining is not only a
dangerous job, but it is also very painstaking and a great
deal of effort and time is required to clear the minefield.
Outside the parameters of Bagram Air Base, which has played
an important role in the war for the control of Kabul
and Afghanistan, Polish and Bosnian experts were engaged
in the process, using traditional metal detectors and
trained dogs. The coalition troops had first secured a
track through the minefield to ensure vehicular movement.
The rest of the area was fenced with warning signs placed,
where special teams were carrying out the de-mining process.
Special vehicles fitted with devices to de-activate anti-personal
or anti-tank mines and other explosives were also patrolling
the streets.
According to reports, there
were on average about eighty-eight recorded mine/UXO casualties
per month in the year 2000. This civilian toll is expected
to increase significantly if clashes with the coalition
troops increase in the coming years.
These reports suggest that
the known contaminated area is estimated to be approximately
724 million square metres. Of this, some 344 million square
metres are classified as high priority land. There are
several regions of the country that are still not accessible
and the full extent of the landmine problem in Afghanistan
is yet to be accurately gauged.
Mined areas are still being
discovered at a rate of 12 to 14 million square metres
per year. These include recent, as well as land mines
laid several years ago. MAPA, an organization responsible
for the discovery of dangerous areas, is working actively
as various parts of the country become more accessible.
Analysts were of the view that if the remaining 344 million
square metres of highly impacted mined areas were de-mined,
most Afghans could resume a normal and productive life.
Access to a stretch of land, previously used for agriculture
and grazing, has now been denied to the Afghan people.
The warring factions were
not the only ones afraid of being trapped in the minefields
- civilians attempting to flee the country, or areas of
potential conflict, are also exposed to this danger. Even
urban areas are not safe in Afghanistan. Now that schools
have reopened, parents of school-going children, especially
in the outskirts of cities like Kabul, experience anxiety
and fear, as an identified portion of the area still contains
mines.
Only two of Afghanistan's
twenty-nine provinces are believed to be free of landmines.
The most heavily mined provinces are Herat and Kandahar.
Kandahar is the stronghold of the Taliban and a likely
focal point for armed conflict. Other heavily infested
provinces include Farah, Paktia, Kabul, Zabul, Ghazni,
and Paktika. These provinces border on Pakistan and Iran,
the most common destinations for the tens of thousands
of refugees fleeing the country. Even the capital, Kabul,
is mine-affected.
The use of mines in Afghanistan
and surrounding countries has increased in the past year,
with the United Front (formerly the Northern Alliance)
continuing to use mines inside Afghanistan, and the forces
of Russia (in Tajikistan, Uzebekistan, and Kyrgyzstan)
laying mines on borders.
Analysts believe that the
mines present a major obstacle to repatriation, relief,
rehabilitation, and development activities. There is no
end to the use of this deadly device as the chaotic situation
in Afghanistan continues.
