UN
Mine action centre condemns attacks on deminers in Afghanistan
13 April 2010 - A centre coordinating the detection and removal of landmines in Afghanistan on Monday condemned an attack on deminers in the country.
The attack, which happened on a team working for the Demining Agency for Afghanistan in Kandahar on 11 April, killed four deminers and injured 17 others.
The Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA) says mine action is a neutral humanitarian activity which should not be confused with military operations in the country.
It also strongly condemns the use of all anti-personnel and other improvised explosive devices which have led to a high number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
It warns that civilians will continue to die for many years to come if humanitarian deminers are prevented from carrying out this life-saving work.
The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan – the collective name for all organizations carrying out mine action in the country – has been active since 1988.
It has been responsible for the removal of over 15,000 hazard areas, which include minefields and battlefields in the last 20 years.
The programme is the largest in the world and employs over 10,000 Afghans in various capacities.
