Russian anti personnel mines in afghanistan books

Why donald trump is lifting the us landmine moratorium. The amount of explosive in the m14 mine is comparatively small in relation to other anti personnel mines. When we arrived in anabah in 1999, we opened a surgical centre to offer free treatment to victims of war and antipersonnel mines. Since the early days of the soviet war in afghanistan, forces of the. Cluster bombs and anti personnel land mines, deadly explosives known for maiming and killing civilians long after the fighting ended, have become integral to the pentagons future war plans.

Nonstate armed groups were responsible for much of the new use of mines, often improvised devices, in at least nine countries. In addition to farmable land, power lines, roads, bridges, railroads, and airports, even schools, factories and cattle dip tanks were mined. Mine ban membership grows arms control association. Anti personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines, the latter may or may not be a bouncing mine. It takes weeks to clear a small piece of land as deminers carefully. Pfm1 is a land mine of soviet production, very similar to the blu43 us army landmine. Widely used in afghanistan, the soviet pfm1 scatterable pressuresensitive blast mine is also known as the butterfly mine because of its shape, which unfortunately attracts children who think it is a toy. Sovietera land mines kill 40 each year pulitzer center. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan and the united kingdom making it a cold war proxy war. But, even when the wars are over and the soldiers have gone, these eternal sentinals continue to maim and kill. About 60 countries and territories are still contaminated with anti personnel mines. Jan 23, 2020 this suggests that they were expecting to encounter russian tanks or armored vehicles, or that they would use them against fortified bunkers.

This aid included heavy machine guns, mines, rpg7 antitank. The mines were placed by soldiers during wars of aggression or by combatants during civil wars. Minefields have been laid by both soviet and afghan forces, and mines have been used in all. Between 1918 and 1939 the development and use of the anti personnel mine became a priority among military strategists and it was widely used throughout poland, russia. A sniper is a highly trained marksman who operates alone, in a pair, or with a sniper team to maintain close visual contact with the enemy and engage targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the detection capabilities of enemy personnel. They are one of the most widely used and commonly found devices during demining operations. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in 1979 and the subsequent brutal military campaign resulted in one of the biggest humanitarian crises of. Explosive clearing clearing mines and uxo with explosives involves placing the explosives in close proximity to the mines or uxo without disturbing them and then blowing them in place. Regimental flags and pennants 9 british county flags and pennants 2 coffin drapes 4 general flags 14 german. Jul 01, 2019 what isnt in the museum is spread out across roughly 1,000 square miles of the country. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in soviet russian history, military historians and also to anyone interested in the terrors of war and what it was like to witness it. Anti personnel mines generally are not designed to kill. The most effective strategy that ukraine can select against russianbacked separatists is a populationcentric approach. Nov 08, 2019 chinese land mines are still available on the international arms black market.

Certain victimactivated improvised explosive devices are considered to fall under the treatys definition of antipersonnel landmines, which detonate due to the presence, proximity or contact of a person. Anti personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. The utility of the landmines will start to decline in about 10 years, and the mines will be completely unusable after 20 years, he said. Education in afghanistan in the years preceding the soviet afghan war was largely secular. Prnewswire once again, air charter international has shown its capabilities of dealing with difficult air charter missions. New vegas, fallout 4, fallout 76 and fallout tactics. In another disturbing development, iran, which ostensibly instituted an export moratorium on antipersonnel mines in 1997, has apparently provided mines to combatants in afghanistan and elsewhere. Oct 10, 2016 the aftermath of russian, taliban and northern alliance fighters, all of whom laid mines, has resulted in between 5 and 7 million landmines in afghanistan, both antipersonnel and antitank. Maiming an enemy combatant is more effective than killing since resources are needed to evacuate. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. Unlike antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines tend to be larger and heavier and often incorporate warheads specially designed to punch through the steel hulls of tanks and armored personnel carriers. Ieds, land mines, and booby traps in the sovietafghan war. A german world war ii era schu mine 42 anti personnel mine. Land mines, a persistent civilian killer, are coming back.

The norwegian engineer unit rendered several pmns and pmn2s safe in afghanistan. The international committee of the red cross estimated in 1994 that it would take 4,300 years to remove all the soviet land mines in afghanistan. It was adopted in 1997 and it entered into force on 1 march 1999. It can be mounted against a round surface such as a tree or can be placed on a small standalone stake. Green parrot, also known as butterfly mine is a land mine of soviet production, very similar to the blu43 us army landmine. I believe is an epic statement to the russian experience in afghanistan. Jan 17, 2011 viktor bout, a former soviet russian military officer with ties to russian military intelligence the gru, and current black market arms seller, scheduled to go court on friday, vindicates the. Both devices are very similar in shape and principles, although they use different explosives.

Keiler mine flail minenraumpanzer keiler is mineclearing vehicle developed. The us decision to allow its military to deploy landmines again seemed to come out of the blue. Rodric braitwaite is a historian who also served as the uk ambassador to the ussr during the closing days of the soviet occupation of afghanistan. A german world war ii era schumine 42 antipersonnel mine.

If you are interested go listen to this mans voice on npr, from ten years ago, 15 years after he had left afghanistan. Many states have ended the export of antipersonnel mines. Pakistan still has 6 million landmines, india third with 4 million. The random placement of mines became part of military strategy, creating hazardous environments for many people. In the past decade, however, the us exported about 150,000 anti personnel mines. The first issue for 1999 will appear in march ofthat year and will be sent.

This magisterial study of the soviet nightmare in afghanistan is a lesson to us all, says sherard cowpercoles. These sniper teams operate independently, with little combat asset support from their parent units. Every month, 40 afghans are killed or injured by sovietera land mines. The earlier pmn2 landmine seen at left in the image below has been documented in syria since at least early 2012, however this is the first known appearance of the pmn4 above and below, at right. Its extremely simple design and use of wooden components allowed it to be produced in great numbers. A russian soldiers story by vladislav tamarov a photo diary, with short essays. The soviet command soon realized that mechanized infantry units were not effective against mujahideen guerrilla tactics. Stocks of antipersonnel mines are present in the ongoing.

There were too many dead and not enough shovels, so a local politician brought in heavy machinery from a nearby. Pakistan has worlds second largest stockpile of anti. Mines bombs projectiles and shells 60 replica grenades 67 grenades and ordnance accessories 2 ammunition. Understanding landmines and mine action september 2003 prepared by robert keeley page 4 anti tank at mines the main difference between an ap and at mines is that an at mine is much larger and filled with more explosive, hence making it able to defeat a tank. Dec 10, 1985 this is a digitized version of an article from the timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The old ones are often but not always sold before they become worthless. Russianbacked afghan military forces used mines for the protection of their. The 19791989 soviet war in afghanistan lasted more than nine years, and mine warfare was a major component of it. Innocent men, women, and children in many third world countries are killed and maimed by antipersonnel landmines. On a us m14 mine, 29 grams of tetryl is used, while 240 grams of tnt is used in a russian pmn mine. The russian military operation against ukraine has revealed some of the constraints on russia s exercise of military power. The book makes extensive use of soviet archival sources and 1st person interviews. They demanded that the primers contain anti soviet passages. General boris gromov, who commanded the soviet 40th army during the.

Usually but not always at mines are also designed to. I know its different, thats always what youre told. Bombing kills dozens and hurts schoolchildren as taliban. The 19791989 soviet war in afghanistan lasted more. Dec 03, 2014 the group said it remained unclear whether landmines have been laid in the bloody conflict between kiev and prorussian rebels. Apr 10, 2009 the german smine schrapnellmine in german, also known as the bouncing betty, is the bestknown version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. Its estimated that there are up to 10 million landmines in afghanistan, many of which are from a war with russia that. Barred from afghanistan, he gathered incontrovertible testimony of the. Anti tank mines will not normally be triggered if you stand on one. The curved plate is filled with pellets or projectiles in front of the explosive charge. The taliban indoctrinates kids with jihadist textbooks.

Nearly 120,000 smart, nonpersistent mines were used in the gulf war, which was the last time the united states used land mines in warfare outside a single use in afghanistan in 2002. New danishgerman film describes how more than 2,000 captive soldiers, many of them still teenagers, were forcibly marched through mine fields, in what some have called denmarks biggest war crime. He follows this account with a firsthand report of the 1979 invasion, and analyzes the intervention from political, military, and economic perspectives. What will the impact be on the mine ban movement if the u. Russians ambush and wipeout ukrainian recon patrol. Russias war in afghanistan menatarms isby, david, volstad, ronald on. But from what i can tell, the mine is so cheap and fragile, the even pretty much touching or moving it will trip the explosive. German schrapnellmine smine aka bouncing betty antipersonnel land mine. German engineers clear a minefield, utilizing a german keiler flail tank, during exercise in san gregorio, spain. A 2005 report estimated 34% of the afghan population were disabled due to soviet and government land mines.

Humanitarian mine action actors in afghanistan have cleared more than 18 million. Anti personnel mines antipersonnel mines are a form of. The soviet afghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. What isnt in the museum is spread out across roughly 1,000 square miles of the country. Increased financing is critical to realizing afghanistan s plan to be anti personnel mine free by 2023, in line with the countrys obligations under the ottawa treaty. Both the soviets and their afghan counterparts from the democratic republic of afghanistan employed millions of anti personnel land mines in pattern minefields. Pakistan has the secondlargest stockpile of anti personnel landmines in the world, a report said.

Unfortunately, funding has dropped to 41 percent of what it was in 2011 which has contributed to afghanistan falling behind on its ottawa treaty 2023 commitments. Dec 29, 2019 azizabad, afghanistan once the americans left, the survivors started digging. They discover anti personnel mines attached to trees. Ieds, land mines, and booby traps in the sovietafghan war army. Removal of this ringpull arms the mine after a delay of approximately 120 seconds.

Green parrot, also known as butterfly mine is a land mine of soviet production, very similar to blu43 us army landmine. While the annexation itself of crimea was relatively peaceful, the actions of russian and russian backed forces in eastern ukraine turned into an increasingly fierce fight as the. In december 1997, representatives from a number of countries signed the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti personnel mines and on their destruction, also known as the ottawa treaty. In afghanistan, landmines claim between 20 and 25 victims a day. The entire region was bristling with anti personnel mines, so working by night over more than a week, abdul haq and his men used their knotted turbans to lower themselves repeatedly down the face of the mountain, clear a path through the minefield, and float explosives down the channel. Landmines had been scattered during the russian offensive, but twenty years later they continued to create victims, with no health facility in the valley that could treat them. Ukgb prime minister thatcher publicly supports mujahideen 1981. Oct 24, 2015 german engineers clear a minefield, utilizing a german keiler flail tank, during exercise in san gregorio, spain. The mine is 50% likely to go off when a mine detector passes over it, and 10% likely when in direct contact with a mass of metal the size of a knife blade or greater. Anti personnel blast mines are the most common type and are typically deployed on the surface hidden by leaves or rocks or buried under soil at a depth of 10 20 mm.

Among the legacies of the soviet invasion, and the factional conflicts that followed the d. From ronald reagan and the soviet afghan war to george w bush and september 11, 2001, global research, september 09, 2010 religious schools were generously funded by the united states of america. It has a magnetic fuse that detonates the mine when any vehicle 400 kg or greater passes over it. Middle east land mines pose serious danger to residents of iraqs mosul. A great deal of damage was done to the civilian children population by land mines. Soviets leave dangerous legacy behind in afghanistan. The untold horror of how danes forced german pows to clear mines after wwii. It stated that pakistan has the second largest stockpile of mines with an estimated six million anti personnel landmines, behind russia which has a staggering 26. Mosul has been liberated from islamic state is but for residents of the iraqi city, the horror will not be over for. Today, mine clearance teams in afghanistan still find literally dozens of types of landmines, mainly from former soviet union but also from.

One adult male in every ten has been involved in a mine incident. Keiler mine flail tank minefield clearing vehicle youtube. China is believed to have the largest stockpile, mostly of anti personnel mines. Danish soldier steps on mine english subtitles youtube. Afghanistan children devastated by landmines scattered across the. Pmn1 antipersonnel mine manufactured in july 1978 showing the arming pin in situ. The obama administration decided that while it wouldnt sign the 1997 international treaty banning anti personnel land mines known as the ottawa convention it would abide by its. For this reason the anti personnel mine was developed, designed to prevent enemy soldiers from removing the anti tank mines. For every 5,000 mines cleared, one deminer is killed and two are injured.

The primers, which were filled with talk of jihad and featured drawings of guns, bullets, soldiers and mines, have served since then as the afghan. They are sometimes nicknamed black widow because of their dark casings. German schrapnellmine smine aka bouncing betty anti. Pfm1 was mainly used during the soviet invasion of afghanistan, allegedly. The untold horror of how danes forced german pows to clear. It is also planned to publish selected texts in other languages. Air charter international transports demining machine to. The mon50 antipersonnel mine is a soviet version of the american m18 claymore, a directional fragmentation mine.

The spetsnaz were called in as the only forces capable of fighting the enemy on his own terms. Formally ends landmine production arms control association. Afghanistan marks the 15th anniversary of the withdrawal of soviet troops from the country on 15 february. It has been produced in various shades of brown, green, and white. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Production and transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their destruction, otherwise known as the ottawa convention. Even in the relatively peaceful bamiyan, a province in afghanistan s central highlands, land mines and other explosives remain pervasive. Russian forces based in tajikistan, beginning in late 2000, have laid antipersonnel mines inside tajikistan on the tajikafghan border.

This is one of the newest russian antitank mines, introduced in 1993. Mar 28, 2020 chinese landmines are still available on the international arms black market. Whilst the pmn2 is one of the most prolific anti personnel mines in the world, the pmn4. Mines bombs projectiles and shells relics replica weapons. Repairing runways and clearing mines in afghanistan. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, the times does. Counterinsurgency options for ukraine small wars journal. Jul 01, 2002 pmn mines were the most common manually lifted mines. In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, the mi8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform. World why donald trump is lifting the us landmine moratorium.

The s mine was an anti personnel landmine developed by germany in. During that time of soviet occupation, regional military leaders in afghanistan helped the u. Bae systems contracted for new thaad missile seeker defense news minute, march 17, 2020 bae systems will design a new infrared seeker for thaad interceptors, and two companies are moving on in a. The involvement of the soviet special forcesthe spetsnazin afghanistan began in 1980. Sometimes referred to as the ottawa convention, the mine ban treaty is officially titled. They go after churches but they dont tend to go after mosques. One such mine is the pfm1, nicknamed the green parrot by rebel forces. Data obtained under the freedom of information act reveals that the united states has exported more than 4. Pakistan still has 6 million landmines, india third with 4. Russias war in afghanistan by david isby goodreads. The devastation caused by mines in mozambique is striking.

Old mines bring new casualties in afghanistan hundreds of afghans, mostly children, are killed or injured each year from old mines and unexploded ammunition in unmarked areas. Nobody claims that the mujahedeen in afghanistan are angels, and the anti soviet. The use of antipersonnel mines in the area denial role is a wide spread practice in afghanistan. Army concerned over ban on cluster munitions, land mines. Hip is a medium twinturbine helicopter, originally designed by the soviet union, and now produced by russia. As for tripping the mine, there is a small plunger on the side of the mine that when tripped will fire the small liquid explosive. Russian pmn4 antipersonnel landmines in syria armament. Landmines, livelihoods and postconflict land rights global. Military blunders in the war against terror danielle spinks. Land mines pose serious danger to residents of iraq.