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AFGHANISTAN |
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More Minefield Pictures from AfghanistanThe image files are 100 - 200 kbytes each because we are anxious to make sure that the full quality of these photographs can be retained for you to view them. Each image will open in a new window. You can click on a link and view the rest of this page, or other images, while you wait for the new image to arrive. Set 1 - more photos from the demining agencies Set 3 - Photos of residential area demining in Herat and Kabul (Palsson) Set 4 - Photos near Jalalabad (Smith) January 2002 Update: Kabul UXO Problems View of fort and mosque minaret on the hill top.
Nomads may move in over-night and pitch their tents in a minefield as happened here.
General view of demining on Ghazni hillside.
POM-Z mine set up as a booby trap round a blind corner in an alley way. Photo courtesy of Afghan Technical Consultants, Peshawar.
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Deminer's work and tools alongside a house wall. Helmet and metal detector (Schiebel) can be seen easily. Beyond the metal detector there is a sickle for cutting grass. Photo courtesy of Afghan Technical Consultants, Peshawar
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Demining and house re-construction at the same time. Erect stones in the foreground may mark a graveyard. Photo courtesy of Afghan Technical Consultants, Peshawar.Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb)
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Cleared house being re-built. The sign (we think) says "safe area". Photo courtesy of UNOCHA, Islamabad (David Edwards). Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Residential minefield in Khandahar. One might think that this kind of area could be simply bull-dozed for new residential developments. However, there may be buried UXO (unexploded shells or bombs) and the remaining house walls mark property boundaries: there are no maps or written property records left. The ground has high concentrations of metal fragments making life difficult for deminers. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA, Islamabad (David Edwards).
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Residential minefield in Khandahar. Deminers are working inside houses being watched by their partners from a "safe" distance (often distance is less than safe!). High concentrations of fragments, and mines which may be buried deep under fallen rubble. Note that procedures have been changed - now the deminers are watched by their supervisors while their partners rest. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA, Islamabad (David Edwards).
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) bbbbbClick for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Backhoe working on street clearance around mined houses. The material is removed and spread on the road for a visual check. Then it is removed and stored for later use in construction. The backhoe is armoured - see later photo. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA Islamabad - Dave Edwards.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Residential minefield in Khandahar. The man is observing the backhoe operation to watch for mines and UXO: he carries a mobile radio to communicate with the backhoe operator. Notice in the background how built-in cupboard space may complicate property dividing lines. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA, Islamabad (David Edwards).
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Backhoe working on street clearance around mined houses - other views. Photos courtesy of UNOCHA Islamabad - Dave Edwards.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) bbbbbbClick for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Armoured backhoe cab. 1 inch thick (25 mm) mild steel has been used around the cab, and 1 inch thick polycarbonate windows have been fitted. The window is also protected by a thin (3mm) layer of polycarbonate which can easily be changed,. This greatly reduces the maintenance cost since nearly all blast incidents only affect the outer 3 mm thick layer. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA Islamabad - Dave Edwards.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Road clearance/survey using mine dog. Photo courtesy of Mine Clearance Planning Agency, Islamabad.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Damaged commercial building with mines. This kind of area will have lots of metal fragments and possibly mines buried under rubble. Photo courtesy of Mine Clearance Planning Agency, Islamabad.
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PMN mine visible at the top of a badly eroded/damaged mud wall. This may indicate that the area is mined. Alternatively, this may be a single "nuisance" mine planted to keep people out and make demining more difficult. Photo courtesy of Mine Clearance Planning Agency, Islamabad.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Typical minefield terrain. Although the land is flat here, irrigation ridges and other features provided cover for fighters and were therefore possibly mined. Erosion can bury the mines quite deeply. (Photo: MCPA Islamabad).
lick for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Deminer working around a house where heavy fragment contamination makes metal detectors un-usable. Deminer is dismantling the ground with a pick to a depth of about 30 cm. Photo courtesy of Afghan Technical Consultants, Peshawar.
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Similar work in Khandahar. Photo courtesy of UNOCHA, Islamabad (David Edwards).
Click for full-size picture (up to 500 kb) Deminer indicating an exposed mine just outside a house. Buried at this depth, there would be little chance of activating the mine while the ground is hard. Mine has been exposed by removing all material to a depth of about 40cm by hand. Photo courtesy of Afghan Technical Consultants, Peshawar.
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More pictures from Afghanistan
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