14 April 2010 - On 11 April, a bus carrying a group of deminers on their way to go to work in Kandahar province’s Daman district was struck by a roadside bomb. Five of the deminers were killed, and 16 injured, according to the Demining Agency for Afghanistan, which employs the deminers.

Staffan de Mistura, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, said today, “I am deeply saddened by the lost of lives of our demining workers, and I deplore this attack on these courageous people who for years have devoted their lives to making Afghanistan safer for all.”

“Mines are among the biggest problems that have confronted the Afghan people for more than 30 years. Many innocent people have lost their lives or limbs in incidents related to mines or explosive remnants of war. Today more than 10,000 Afghans are taking part in demining projects across the country to secure the lives of their families and communities," said Mr de Mistura.

Since 1988, more than 15,000 minefields and battlefields have been cleared throughout the country.

“Mine action is a neutral humanitarian activity which makes land safer for all Afghans regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation. I call on all parties to respect this life-saving work and the neutrality of its practitioners,” the SRSG said.

The UN-supported Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan, the umbrella organization for all entities carrying out mine action in the country, maintains that the deminers were attacked and condemned the targeting of humanitarian deminers.

MACCA recorded a total of 51,743 anti-personnel mines, 1,152,738 explosive remnants of war and 746 anti-tank mines were destroyed in 2009 in Afghanistan.

It estimates there are still 2,082 contaminated communities in Afghanistan. Some 600 square kilometres of land containing 5,384 hazardous areas still need to be cleared of mines and explosive remnants of war.