Afghanistan to Destroy Landmine Stockpiles with UN Support
KABUL, Afghanistan, 11 may 03 (Xinhua).

AFGHANISTAN - With a ceremonial blast expected in Afghanistan's capital city on Monday, the country is ready to destroy its stockpiled landmines in a move to show its commitment to get rid of all landmines, whether lying underground or in storage.

The Afghan government will begin the destruction of landmines in storage across the country as part of its obligation under the Mine Ban Treaty, which the country singed last month, a United Nations spokesman said here on Sunday.

Supported by the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan, the country is currently in the process of assessing the number of mines held in stockpiles and how the destruction work can be carried out efficiently, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA) spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva told a press briefing.

"The Defense Ministry is ready to carry out destruction of anti-personnel mine stockpiles very quickly, if some assistance can be provided by the UN and donor countries," Amir Mohamad, chief of the ministry's engineering department, was quoted by a UN statement as saying.

"After decades of war, we are happy to see the destruction of a weapon that has maimed or killed thousands of Afghans," said Shohab Hakimi, chairman of the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines, which is currently running a public awareness program against landmines in the country.

However, even identifying the number of stockpiled landmines would be a significant challenge for the government, as hundreds of thousands of landmines are likely in the hands of private individuals, instead of in military compounds, officials said.

Afghanistan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, with an estimate of some 10 million landmines scattering around the country, a legacy of over two decades of war and conflicts.

Some 150 people are killed or maimed every month in Afghanistan, however, it represents a significant decline from the monthly number of landmine victims before intensive demining activities began throughout the country last year.

The United Nations is also monitoring and coordinating demining activities in Afghanistan, where 15 national and international demining organizations have been working to purge the country's roads and fields of ubiquitous landmines

However, series of armed attacks by unidentified gunmen on demining workers in different areas are stalling ongoing demining efforts in the country, demining agencies said.

The UN-sponsored demining operations have been suspended temporarily in south Afghanistan since suspected Taliban gunmen killed one and wounded several Afghan demining workers in last two weeks, they said.

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