Landmines kill dozens before starting to count again…
Antipersonnel Landmines (APL) and Unexploded Objects (UXO) have been called cheap and inexpensive weapons of death. Not without reason… every day or rather every hour people all over the world are killed or maimed by landmines or explosive remnants of war (ERW). Mine-laying has become common practice in virtually every conflict situation. According to UN statistics, it would take at least 1000 years to clear the number of mines currently buried underground or hidden all over the world today.
Landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive ordnance are easy to manufacture and very expensive to clear. Landmines are relatively cheap to produce and deploy compared to other weapons. Once deployed, they can remain dormant for years or even decades until they are triggered.
It costs as little as $1 to make a landmine but around $1,000 to remove them. This makes them attractive weapons of war.
Landmines are a serious problem in over 60 countries around the world. Every hour someone or the other dies or loses their limbs due to a landmine blast in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and Libya. Even Russia, Pakistan, India, China, and the United States have the biggest stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines.
“I lost both my legs in an explosion in 1982 near the Thai-Cambodian border. I had to chop off part of my leg with an axe to reduce the weight so my friend could carry me thirty kilometres to a medical post, says Tun Channareth, who stepped on an antipersonnel mine.
Why do armies need landmines?
But the real issue here is – why do armies need landmines? There is an ongoing debate about the use of landmines by armies. Historically armies have used landmines:
- To demarcate borders – they are particularly useful in areas where there are no clear natural borders, such as in deserts or forests.
- To protect important locations – like military installations, bridges or supply depots.
- To slow down enemy movement by creating obstacles that slow down the enemy or give ample time to the defending army to attack or retreat to a more defendable position.
- To defend against armoured vehicles – prevent enemy tanks or other armoured vehicles from crossing a specific terrain. Anti-tank mines accounted for half of all vehicles disabled during World War II.
Landmines are a defensive weapon to protect the borders and stop the enemy from advancing. Landmines have proved their worth in slowing down the progress of enemy forces, causing them to take detours, and reducing the chances of successful attacks.
Landmines are an effective deterrent. They add to the risks and make the enemy think twice before attacking certain areas. These are some of the benefits why landmines have proved to be force multipliers that enhance the combat potentials of armies in war and peace.
Why blame the landmines?
Minefields help to reduce the morale of the enemy without any face-to-face fighting. But notwithstanding their benefits, landmines are like a blank death warrant that can cause severe injuries or death to both friend and foe, military personnel, civilians or animals—anywhere anytime — even long after the war is over. This is why many countries all over the world have been lobbying to ban or limit the use of landmines.
As per the standard operating procedure followed in most militaries, minefields need to be marked with warning signs to prevent friendly troops and non-combatants from entering them. Minefields usually have safe routes to allow friendly movement through them. Soldiers have to carefully record the location and character of their own minefields. In some cases, dummy minefields are prominently indicated to fool, deceive and frustrate the enemy.
In a few months or years, these minefields need to be cleared or brought back to normal. This is when the problem starts as the original battalion that laid the mines, may have moved out when the minefield is to be demined. Even the so-called warning signs can be destroyed or removed.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) the lead anti-Maoist operations force of the country with over 90 battalions (90,000 personnel) has started using ‘robo cop’ to detect hidden IEDs and landmines planted by the Maoist insurgents.
The remotely operated device can help detect hidden bombs beneath the dirt tracks or ‘pucca’ roads and defuse them safely, saving a soldier from being killed or maimed by its explosive impact. The robotic device developed in collaboration with IIT Mumbai has saved numerous fatalities in the country’s largest paramilitary force.
According to a senior officer the ‘robot cop’ is a four-wheeled machine, which can be remotely operated by patrol teams to detect and safely defuse the bomb in a secure environment. The device is being field tested so that the menace of IEDs could be thwarted.Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and hidden explosives have killed hundreds of CRPF and other security forces personnel while as many have been severely maimed or have lost their limbs. The force is also looking at getting some special boots, develop by a Hyderabad-based institute which could save troops from getting hit by IEDs, hidden beneath the ground.
Mine Clearance: An Urgent Necessity
Landmines are very seldom removed. Where conflicts are raging, new mines are being laid faster than old ones are being taken out.
These difficulties are compounded by the legal void as regard responsibility for mine clearance and by the shortage of financial resources and trained personnel for such operations. Mine clearance and disposal are at present very primitive, slow and hazardous. Mechanical means which have been developed are not sufficiently effective. Modem plastic mines do not respond to metal detectors and the only sure way to clear mines is often to go across the area inch by inch, using prodders such as bayonets, knives and screwdriver-like instruments to probe the ground.
Mine disposal experts indicate that an average of one person is killed and two are injured for every 5,000 mines cleared. These figures can be worsened in some critical situations when the training and the material are not sufficient: in early 1991, the Somali National Movement began demining northern Somalia under the leadership of a soldier with demolition and demining training. The clearance force included 60 men; 40% were killed or injured by mines in the first six months of the year.
Traditionally there is an elaborate drill for laying and marking land mines. All minefields are marked. Troops are extensively taught and trained to map the minefields in their areas of responsibility. Laying mines without marking them to facilitate their removal in future is illegal under international conventions, but all this seems good only on paper.
The tragedy is that landmines have devastating effects on human beings and the environment long after conflicts have ended. Once deployed, mines remain underground even decades after their legitimate military objective is over and continue to contaminate the environment making land unfit for cultivation and uninhabitable.
- 33 % of highly fertile land particularly in Mavinga Valley is lying useless due to landmines in Angola.
- Mines have paralyzed agricultural production and thousands of people in drought-stricken South Sudan
- Thousands of mines terrorize herders and deny access to grazing areas in Somalia
- Heavily mined roads, agricultural lands and schools cause major problems for refugees in Mozambique
- Above one million acres of heavily mined land are lying deserted in Zimbabwe
- Casualties are routine among people and livestock due to mines in the deserts of Ethiopia
- About 27 % of arable land in Lybia is covered by minefields dating back to World War II
Are landmines the only option?
Some many strategies and tactics can be employed to stop or defeat an enemy, for instance:
- Infantry troops can be used to engage the enemy directly, using firearms, grenades, and other weapons.
- Armored warfare – tanks and armoured vehicles can engage the enemy and provide cover for ground troops.
- Air power – fighter jets, bombers, and attack helicopters can attack enemy positions and provide support to ground troops.
- Naval ships can blockade enemy ports and coasts and engage the enemy in naval battles.
- Cyber warfare can disrupt enemy communications and command and control systems.
- Psychological operations can influence enemy behaviour, disrupt their morale, and undermine their will to fight.
Types of landmines
There are many different types of landmines, each designed for a specific purpose or to meet a specific need. Here are some of the most common types:
- Anti-personnel landmines: These landmines are designed to kill or maim people who step on them. They are typically small and can be concealed easily in the ground.
- Anti-tank landmines: These landmines are designed to destroy or disable tanks and other armoured vehicles. They are larger and more powerful than anti-personnel landmines.
- Blast mines: These mines are designed to create a blast or explosion when they are triggered. They can be used to destroy vehicles or buildings, as well as to injure or kill people.
- Fragmentation mines: These mines are designed to explode and release shrapnel or metal fragments, which can cause injury or death to people within the blast radius.
- Directional mines: These mines are designed to be triggered by vehicles or people moving in a specific direction. They are often used to protect borders or other sensitive areas.
- Smart mines: These mines are designed to be triggered by specific types of vehicles or people. They are often used by militaries to protect their troops while allowing friendly vehicles to pass through safely.
- Pressure-activated mines: These mines are triggered when pressure is applied to them, such as when a person steps on them or a vehicle drives over them.
“The mine has been designed to disable personnel. Operating research has shown that it is better to disable a man than to kill him. A wounded man requires attention, conveyance and evacuation to the rear, thus causing disturbances in the traffic lines of the combat area. Also, a wounded person has a detrimental psychological effect on his fellow soldiers – Pakistan Ordnance Factories brochure, “Technical Specifications for Mine Anti-Personnel (P4 MK2)”
History of landmines
Landmines have been used as weapons for centuries. The first recorded use of landmines dates back to ancient China, where they were used as a defensive measure against invading armies. However, the modern landmine, as we know it today, first appeared during World War I.
During World War I, both sides used landmines extensively to protect their trenches and slow down enemy advances. The use of landmines continued during World War II, and they were used by both Allied and Axis forces.
After World War II, landmines became even more widely used, particularly in conflicts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Landmines were used as defensive weapons to protect borders, military installations, and other strategic locations. They were also used as offensive weapons, particularly in guerrilla warfare.
The use of landmines in warfare has been controversial, particularly due to the long-term impact they have on civilians and the environment. Landmines can remain active for many years after they have been laid, and they can be triggered accidentally, killing or injuring civilians and animals.
In 1997, the international community came together to address the problem of landmines and formed the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The Ottawa Convention aims to eliminate the use of landmines and to ensure that all landmines are cleared and destroyed. While many countries have signed the treaty, there are still several countries that continue to use landmines.
“Landmines are perfect soldiers – ever courageous, never sleep, never miss,” says Paul Jefferson a humanitarian mine remover.
-The writer is a seasoned media professional with over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and web media. He is presently Editor of Taazakhabar News
