Landmines being cleared in Kandahar

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Officials in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday said they were working to find and defuse landmines planted during the previous war in the city and districts.

Representatives of a number of demining organizations met with the governor of Kandahar to discuss how to begin the process.

Kandahar Economy Director Gul Mohammad Areen told Pajhwok Afghan News there were six demining organizations operating in the province for years.

He added that THT, one of these organizations, wants to clear Kandahar city and districts of landmines planted during the last 20 years of war.

He added that the organizations have trained teams for the project, which will start from Kandahar city and five districts, Arghandab, Panjwai, Shawalikot, Shorabak and Ghorak.

However, he noted that the rest of Kandahar would be included in the second phase of the demining process.

Kandahar Governor Haji Mohammad Yousuf said that with the end of the war in the country, the causes of civilian casualties should be eliminated.

He added that landmines have endangered the lives of people and it is very important to eliminate this threat.

He thanked the Mine Action Center for its cooperation in this regard and assured them of full cooperation.

Residents of Kandahar say landmines have killed thousands of people in the province during the last 20 years of war and are still threatening their lives.

They demanded that demining work in the province be expedited and extended to all districts.

Abdul Rahman, a resident of Spin Boldak district, was injured in a roadside bomb blast about a year ago but lost his young son.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News that security had returned to the country but landmines remained a deadly weapon.

He said people could not move for fear of landmines and it was the duty of Taliban officials to detect and destroy landmines.

He demanded that the demining program be implemented uniformly in all districts of Kandahar.

Thousands of landmines have been plante during the war between the previous government and the Taliban in Kandahar over the past 20 years, many of which remain unexploded.

In the past, most of the casualties in the province have been caused by landmines.

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