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Country Reports
AFGHANISTAN, Landmine Monitor Report 2001
 
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AFGHANISTAN

Key developments since May 2000: In the year 2000, an average of about 88 mine and UXO casualties per month were recorded, a sharp decline from recorded casualties in 1999. In 2000, mine action organizations marked and mapped about 126 million square meters of mine and UXO contaminated land, and cleared about 104 million square meters of mine and UXO contaminated land. A total of 13,542 antipersonnel mines, 636 antitank mines and 298,828 UXO were destroyed during these clearance operations. Mine awareness organizations provided formal mine awareness training to more than one million people. MAPA experienced a severe shortage of funds in 2000 and as a result could not achieve its operational targets for the year and had to lay off five manual mine clearance teams, two technical survey teams and two international experts. Mine action operations were suspended in Badghais and Faryab provinces after seven mine awareness workers were killed in August 2000. The Taliban and their opposition, the Northern Alliance, have accused each other of laying new landmines. The Northern Alliance denied use to Landmine Monitor, but admitted to an EU mission that they continued to use antipersonnel mines.

Other Reports:

Mine Ban Policy

Afghanistan remains a non-signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty. The two main opposing forces are the Taliban, which controls nearly all of Afghanistan but has little official recognition internationally, and the Northern Alliance, led by Burhanuddin Rabbani, whose government was ousted by the Taliban in 1996.

In 1998, a national ban on antipersonnel mines was imposed by a decree of the Taliban Supreme Leader. The Head of Operations and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of the Taliban, Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, told Landmine Monitor, “We have committed ourselves to the complete implementation of the decree of Amir-ul-Momineen (the Taliban Supreme Leader) on landmines.”[310] The Taliban Ministry of Culture and Information regularly releases information in the official media and has arranged special broadcasts on the Taliban-run radio Shariat (formerly radio Kabul) regarding the landmine problem in order to support the full implementation of the 1998 decree. The Taliban’s Minister of Culture and Information, Qudratullah Jamal, told Landmine Monitor, “All the concerned authorities and the common people of the country have been repeatedly informed [about the decree] and have been requested to cooperate with concerned authorities in the elimination of the landmine problem according to the decree.” [311] He added, “We also urge all landmine producing countries to stop the production, stockpiling and use of landmines and do not sell or provide them to others.”

The Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL) met with Burhanuddin Rabbani, the head of the Northern Alliance, in early May 2001 and provided him with a comprehensive update on the landmine problem in Afghanistan. While not making a clear statement of mine ban policy, he denied any recent use of antipersonnel mines.[312] At the end of the meeting, a written request by the ACBL calling on the Northern Alliance to issue a policy statement supporting the ban on landmines at the national level was submitted to Professor Rabbani and he promised to consider it for necessary action.

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling

Except for improvised explosive devices, there is no evidence of antipersonnel mine production in Afghanistan, and Taliban officials confirmed this to Landmine Monitor.[313]

The Taliban, through their decree of 1998, have denounced import and export of mines and are believed to be implementing the decree. Taliban officials told Landmine Monitor that they have asked United Nations authorities to urge Iran and Russia to stop sending landmines to the opposition.[314] The Program Manager of the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA), Richard Daniel Kelly, told Landmine Monitor that the MAPA had received a formal complaint from the Taliban accusing the Northern Alliance of importing and laying mines, and the complaint was forwarded to the UN.[315] Landmine Monitor has not received any concrete evidence of transfers of antipersonnel mines to the Northern Alliance in this reporting period.

The Taliban have stated that they are not maintaining any stockpiles of antipersonnel mines: “We do not store any landmines and we do not need them because they are against human beings and the holy religion of Islam.”[316] One mine action agency sought to acquire 1,000 different types of live antipersonnel mines for an evaluation of the training of dogs in detecting mines, but each government and army representative it approached to obtain the mines denied that they held any, or if they did, refused to provide them; all cited the Taliban decree banning antipersonnel mines as the reason.[317] When the MAPA Program Manager met with the Taliban Minister of Defense, the Minister refused the request for mines and reportedly said, “This [keeping mines] is not permitted in Islam.”[318]

The Taliban’s defense spokesperson told Landmine Monitor, “If we capture any [large quantities of] landmines...during fighting or from the stores of the opposition forces, we will destroy them under the supervision of ACBL and the United Nations.”[319]

No destruction of stockpiled mines took place during the year 2000. In order to ensure any possible destruction of stockpiled landmines in future, MAPA has offered to assist both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance in the safe transportation and destruction of stockpiled mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Neither side has taken up this offer yet. [320]

Use

Most of the mines were laid in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation and the subsequent communist regime between 1980-1992. Mines were also used in the internal fighting among various armed groups from 1992 to 1996, particularly in Kabul city and its outskirts.

The extent of new mining throughout the country was investigated in 1998 and again in late 1999 by the MAPA and, while a concern, is reported not to be substantial.[321] It is difficult, however, to obtain a clear picture of new mine use as the frontline areas are inaccessible to Landmine Monitor.

Both Taliban and the Northern Alliance have accused each other of laying new mines in the frontline areas. Representatives of both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance denied the use of any landmines in interviews with Landmine Monitor.[322] When the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines met with Burhanuddin Rabbani in early May 2001, he said, “No. We have not used any mines. These are Taliban who are using mines that injure our people.”[323] However, Ambassador Peter Tejler of Sweden told reporters on the return of an European Union (EU) mission from Afghanistan, “Northern Alliance leaders admitted that they lay landmines even now.”[324] The Taliban also reported heavy landmine casualties to their forces during the takeover of Taloqan city from the Northern Alliance in September 2000.[325]

The Minister for National Security of the Northern Alliance, General Fahim, accused the Taliban of laying three belts of landmines in a long line in the areas of Hazar Bagh, Khawaja Ghar, Sia Sabz, and in the frontline of Khinjan and Andarab.[326]

Landmine Monitor has also received a number of unconfirmed reports of recent casualties caused by butterfly (PFM) antipersonnel mines reportedly deployed by Russia on the Afghan side of the Afghan-Tajik border. Local residents told Landmine Monitor that the area was not mine-affected in the past as there had been no conflict in the area, but there have been several recent casualties caused by PFM mines.[327]

Landmine Problem

Despite remarkable and continued progress made by MAPA over the past decade, Afghanistan is still believed to be one of the most severely mine- and UXO-affected countries in the world. The current known contaminated area is estimated to total approximately 724 million square meters. Of this some 344 million square meters is classified as high priority land. There are areas of the country that are still not accessible and the full extent of the landmine problem in Afghanistan is yet to be determined.[328] Mined areas are still being discovered at a rate of 12 to 14 million square meters per year. These areas were mined years ago, but are discovered by MAPA as different parts of the country become more accessible. One assessment indicates that if the remaining 344 million square meters of highly impacted mined areas were demined, most Afghans could resume a normal and productive life; this is estimated to take between seven and ten years if current funding levels for mine clearance are maintained.[329]

The following table summarizes the overall landmine situation in Afghanistan as of December 2000.

Landmine Problem in Afghanistan (as of December 2000)[330]

Area
Agriculture
Residential
Irrigation
Road
Grazing
Total
(area in sqm)
Total mined area cleared, all high priority
90,944,000
28,203,000
8,025,000
28,393,000
68,736,000
224,301,000
High priority area remaining to be cleared
157,437,000
13,770,000
3,224,000
32,093,000
137,958,000
344,482,000
Low priority area remaining to be cleared
26,243,000
126,000
582,000
7,440,000
344,677,000
379,068,000
Total mined area remaining to be cleared
183,680,000
13,896,000
3,806,000
39,533,000
482,635,000
723,550,000

Survey and Assessment

Three main types of landmine surveys are currently undertaken in Afghanistan including general survey of mine contaminated areas, technical survey of minefields, and socio-economic impact survey of landmines and mine action operations.

As of December 2000, general survey of approximately 947 million square meters of mined areas had been completed since the start of survey operations in 1990. In addition, technical survey of about 296 million square meters of minefields and more than 348 million square meters of former battle areas had been completed.[331]

The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) and Hazardous Area Life Support Organization (HALO Trust) are the two organizations that undertake survey activities in Afghanistan. MCPA’s survey data is used by all clearance agencies except HALO, which conducts survey operations for its own clearance teams. In the year 2000, MCPA and HALO Trust identified, marked and mapped more than 32 million square meters of minefields and about 94 million square meters of former battle areas.[332] Updated information on these two agencies follows.

Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA). MCPA conducts survey operations all over Afghanistan, with its head office in Kabul and offices in Gardez, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat. MCPA employs 309 people. Its technical survey teams are supported by mine detection dogs from the Mine Detection Dog Center (MDC). Each MCPA survey team consists of four surveyors and a team leader, with one surveyor or team leader trained in first aid. In 2000, MCPA operated with 33 survey teams and identified, marked and mapped about 27 million square meters of mine contaminated area and about 32 million square meters of former battle area contaminated by UXO. MCPA is also involved in the development and maintenance of a comprehensive computerized management information system (MIS) for MAPA. It serves as the coordinating agency for the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL).

HALO Trust. In addition to clearance, HALO undertakes survey operations for its own clearance teams in the central and northern provinces of the country. HALO’s survey teams consist of 10 members each, with one member acting as the team leader. In 2000, HALO operated with five survey teams and identified, marked and mapped about 5 million square meters of mine contaminated area and about 62 million square meters of former battle area contaminated by UXO.

In May 2000, the Survey Action Center (SAC) conducted an advanced survey mission to Afghanistan to examine the feasibility of retrofitting existing data into the Landmine Impact Survey module. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) has sent a letter of intent to SAC requesting implementation of a landmine impact survey in Afghanistan. Planning is underway for the survey, which will be implemented by MCPA, as soon as financial resources are made available.[333] The survey will give priority to covering the northern areas of the country where the landmine situation is not well known. The survey is being coordinated with concerned authorities of the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, donors and other concerned organizations.[334]

The Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is engaged in the task of migrating existing data from MAPA’s Management Information System mine action database to the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). This task will be done in several stages and it is estimated that it will take about 18 months. A number of modifications are required in order to make the data compatible.

Mine Action Funding

Mine action operations are funded by various donor countries through the Afghan Emergency Trust Fund (AETF), which channels funds through the UNOCHA to the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan. Some donors also provide direct funding to NGOs and some provide in-kind contributions. Funding requests for the MAPA are included in the annual consolidated funding appeal for the United Nations programs in Afghanistan.

MAPA received approximately US$172.8 million in funds from 1991 through 2000. In 2000, MAPA experienced a severe funding shortfall. While the program budget for 2000 was $26.3 million, only $17 million was received. As a result, MAPA had to decrease its operations by 50 percent in the last quarter of 2000. Special funds provided by Austria and Germany allowed the survey and mine detecting dog teams to be quickly reinstated.[335] Because of the shortage, MAPA was able to achieve only 64 percent of its mine clearance target for the year, 68 percent of the mine awareness target, and 98 percent of the technical survey target.

The $17 million in funding for 2000 represented a drastic decrease from $22 million in 1999, which in turn had fallen greatly from $27 million in 1998, the highest level achieved in the program’s history.

The MAPA Program Manager, the Head of Administration and Finance at UNOCHA and the directors of a number of Afghan mine action agencies interviewed by Landmine Monitor all had common views on the reasons for the reduction in funding and common strategies for securing funds for the program in future. The main reasons for the drop in funding were believed to be an increased demand for mine action funds globally, other humanitarian emergencies in the country such as the drought and, to some extent, the ongoing political situation in the country. There is a fear that if the funding crisis continues, it will result in the loss of human resources and experience that have developed over a long period of time.[336]

MAPA and its implementing NGOs have taken a number of measures to reduce the impact of the decreased funding on operations. These measures include removal of redundant staff, a freeze on hiring of national and international staff, additional sharing of facilities, a freeze on salary increments, no promotion with pay increase and reduction of operational teams as required.[337] MAPA’s Program Manager told Landmine Monitor that, “while main funding channel for MAPA will remain the UN consolidated appeal, we are also looking for non-traditional donors. For instance, we have had, so far, three meetings with concerned officials of the Organization of the Islamic Countries (OIC) and a meeting with Muslim World League.”[338] He said that MAPA has also been in contact with the concerned officials of the Taliban’s Office for Disaster Preparedness (ODP), which is investigating the possibility of providing facilities and explosives to mine action operations in Afghanistan either free of charge or with a nominal fee. MAPA has also proposed the establishment of a steering committee of donors to coordinate contributions to the AETF, direct funding to NGOs, bilateral support, and in-kind contributions for mine action in Afghanistan.[339]

In addition to the funding shortage, some mine action NGOs told Landmine Monitor of difficulties experienced by the very late delivery of granted funds, leading to increased cash flow problems over the past two years.[340] However, the Head of Administration and Finance of UNOCHA told Landmine Monitor that the problem was due to technical reasons, which have been resolved now, and he hoped there would be no more delays in the future[341].

The table on the following page summarizes funding for mine action in Afghanistan from 1991 through 2000.

Mine Action Planning and Coordination

The Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) is coordinated by the Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (MACA).[342] MAPA is comprised of the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (MACA), temporary located in Islamabad (Pakistan), five UN Regional Mine Action Centers (RMAC), all located inside Afghanistan, and fifteen implementing partners or NGOs. The RMAC’s are responsible for the field level management, coordination and oversight of mine action activities in their respective regions.[343]

Annual national and regional mine action plans are prepared by MACA and its RMAC with input from all mine action NGOs and in consultation with UN agencies, other concerned NGOs, local communities and concerned government bodies such as Office for Disaster Preparedness (ODP) and the Department for Mine Clearance (DMC). Other factors considered in the planning process include the prevailing security situation, availability of surveyed area in need of clearance, climatic conditions, mine and UXO casualty data and socio-economic impact. Once national and regional plans are developed, specific tasks are then allocated to mine action teams from the implementing partners under the direction of the MACA overseen by the RMACs. In order to prioritize requests for survey and clearance of mine contaminated areas, MAPA uses a comprehensive priority system. In 2001, through closer interaction with other UN programs and consideration of socio-economic impact of landmines, the prioritization system will be improved to be more responsive and accurate.

Since it started in 1989, MAPA has expanded from a few hundred deminers assisted by a dozen foreign experts to a workforce of some 4,900 Afghans and fewer than ten expatriates. It continues to be one of the largest, most efficient and cost-effective mine action programs in the world. As of January 2001, there were 31 technical survey teams, 114 clearance teams (manual, mechanical, EOD/bomb disposal and mine detecting dog), 11 training and monitoring teams, 10 mine awareness projects and a range of management, technical and support services.

Details of funds received by MAPA from 1991 through 2000 in US$ [35]

Country
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
TOTAL
$ brought forward
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4,817,433
3,890,841
2,749,931
11,458,205
Australia
0
658,868
138,279
274,800
306,000
293,600
748,370
335,550
0
298,400
3,053,867
Austria
0
180,000
0
315,725
159,982
203,030
16,667
90,000
127,992
200,000
1,293,396
Belgium
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
273,224
0
0
273,224
Canada
0
0
562,559
716,874
355,540
737,419
777,940
705,938
659,659
672,261
5,188,190
EC
0
0
0
0
2,785,321
5,077,730
3,624,437
3,027,613
2,634,534
0
17,149,635
Cyprus
0
0
0
0
10,000
0
0
0
0
0
10,000
Denmark
0
400,000
0
202,823
900,000
900,000
598,802
729,639
347,502
656,916
4,735,682
Finland
235,294
227,635
175,991
756,559
242,825
423,191
380,952
490,081
512,540
428,578
3,873,646
France
0
0
0
0
0
0
169,779
0
100,000
0
269,779
Germany
0
0
0
0
374,232
2,388,041
2,000,000
2,373,000
2,500,000
1,700,000
11,335,273
Greece
0
16,365
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
16,365
Italy
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100,000
0
100,000
Japan
5,000,000
2,000,000
2,000,000
0
2,000,000
0
1,000,000
300,268
1,300,000
0
13,600,268
Korea
0
0
75,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
75,000
Netherlands
0
586,281
780,457
341,591
789,345
1,363,527
2,530,993
1,482,945
1,454,525
2,749,740
12,079,404
Norway
765,004
1,126,877
1,819,103
631,606
562,375
886,163
1,508,107
2,398,649
1,477,044
615,474
11,790,402
Sweden
894,457
872,600
1,148,494
1,894,524
2,218,743
2,535,812
2,500,000
2,283,180
2,510,488
1,875,742
18,734,040
Switzerland
0
0
709,220
0
344,828
344,828
0
135,135
0
0
1,534,011
UK
904,350
954,350
1,494,000
1,085,840
1,970,728
1,183,088
1,209,678
3,346,000
979,800
2,694,840
15,822,674
USA
123,000
1,105,023
1,500,000
3,227,405
2,564,089
1,308,507
2,000,000
1,073,442
3,021,000
1,900,000
17,822,466
USA/UNA
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
56,667
438,795
495,462
Direct/ in kind Contribution
0
2,955,000
6,972,428
7,521,244
0
115,328
1,111,111
3,121,990
315,147
0
22,112,248
Total
7,922,106
11,082,999
17,375,531
16,967,991
15,584,008
17,760,264
20,178,833
26,986,085
21,989,738
16,982,677
172,823,237

Mine Clearance

Eight organizations are currently engaged in mine and UXO clearance in Afghanistan. All these organizations, except the head office of Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), are now based in Afghanistan with small offices in Pakistan for logistics support. ATC’s operational staff is all based inside Afghanistan while the head office is in the process of moving to Afghanistan.

From 1990 through 2000, over 224 million square meters of mined area and about 320 million square meters of former battle areas were cleared of mines and UXO. In the same period 215,908 antipersonnel mines, 9,897 antitank mines, and 1,305,558 different types of UXO were detected and subsequently destroyed.[36]

In 2000, mine clearance organizations cleared more than 24 million square meters of mined area and about 80 million square meters of former battle areas. A total of 13,542 antipersonnel mines, 636 antitank mines, and 298,828 UXO were destroyed during these clearance operations.[37]

Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC). ATC, established in 1989, is the oldest and the largest mine action NGO in Afghanistan. It has 1,299 employees. ATC mainly operates in the central and eastern regions of the country, with its head office in Peshawar (Pakistan) and offices in Gardez, Kandahar and Jalalabad. ATC teams are also deployed to other regions as required. Several ATC field offices move from location to location depending on the season. In 2000, ATC operated with 21 manual clearance teams, six battle area clearance teams, four mechanical mine clearance teams and four Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams and cleared more than 4.2 million square meters of mine contaminated area and approximately 20 million square meters of former battle area contaminated by UXO. During these clearance operations 2,748 AP mines, 43 AT mines and 66,406 UXO were destroyed. Its 2000 budget was $7.6 million but it only received approximately $4.6 million, due to the funding shortage.

Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA). One of the AREA’s projects is community based mine clearance in Sorkhrod and Khogiani districts of Nangarhar province, in the eastern part of the country. AREA employees 114 people, in three demining teams. In the year 2000, AREA cleared 131,500 square meters of mine contaminated area and destroyed 26 AP mine and 89 UXOs. Its budget for 2000 was approximately $145,000.

Danish Demining Group (DDG). DDG operates with three manual mine clearance teams in central region, with its head office in Kabul. It has 108 staff. In the year 2000, DDG cleared about 59,500 square meters of mine contaminated area and destroyed one AT mine, 139 AP mines and 502 UXOs. DDG’s budget for 2000 was approximately $1.5 million.

Demining Agency For Afghanistan (DAFA). DAFA conducts mine and UXO clearance mainly in the southern and western regions of the country, with its head office located in Kandahar. It employs about 690 people. In 2000, DAFA operated with 11 manual clearance teams, four battle area clearance teams, and three mechanical mine clearance teams and cleared about 2.8 million square meters of mined contaminated area. During these clearance operations, 1,526 AP mines, 16 AT mines and 2,262 UXO were destroyed. Its budget for 2000 was $4.3 million but it only received approximately $2.2 million, due to the funding shortage.

HALO Trust. HALO has been operational in Afghanistan since 1988. It now works in seven provinces in central and northern Afghanistan. HALO employs more than 1,180 Afghan staff. In 2000, HALO operated with 31 manual clearance teams (662 demining lanes working one man one lane), five battle area clearance/EOD teams with ten members in each, 11 mechanical mine clearance teams with eight members in each, and five survey teams with ten members each. Mechanical clearance teams are based around armored front end loaders which utilize an excavation and raking technique to clear technically difficult antipersonnel minefields.[38] HALO’s large-scale clearance operations are supported by survey and mine awareness teams. In 2000, HALO cleared 4.1 million square meters of mine contaminated area and 62.7 million square meters of former battle area contaminated by UXO, and destroyed 7,053 AP mines, 152 AT mines and 182,524 UXO. The HALO’s budget for 2000 was approximately $3 million dollars. Its main donors were the US, ECHO, the Netherlands and a private donor. In addition to clearance, HALO Trust undertakes survey activities.

Mine Detection Dog Center (MDC). MDC conducts mine and UXO clearance throughout Afghanistan, with its head office in Kabul and offices in Gardez, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat. MDC employs 774 people. In the year 2000, MDC operated with 17 Mine Dog Groups (MDG) and provided 33 Mine Dog Set (MDS) to MCPA to support its survey operations. MDC clearance teams mainly operate in low priority areas contaminated by AT mines, particularly AT mines with minimum metal content. In 2000, MDC cleared more than 10.3 million square meters of mine contaminated area and destroyed 89 AP mines, 378 AT mines and 1,209 UXO. MDC’s budget for 2000 was $4.6 million while it only received approximately $2.5 million, due to the funding shortage.

Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR). OMAR conducts mine and UXO clearance and mine awareness in various parts of the country, with its head office recently relocated to Kabul (from Peshawar) and offices in Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Herat. OMAR has 645 employees of whom 550 are involved in mine clearance and 95 in mine awareness education. It also runs some primary education, health care and rehabilitation projects with separate staff and budget. In the year 2000, OMAR operated with ten manual clearance teams, four battle area clearance teams, and three mechanical mine clearance teams and cleared more than 1.8 million square meters of mine contaminated area and about 3.5 million square meters former battle area contaminated by UXO. During these clearance operations 2,237 AP mines, 9 AT mines and 47,894 UXO were destroyed. In 2000 OMAR’s budget for mine clearance was $1.3 million while it spent more than $400,000 on its mine awareness education project.

Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA). While MCPA is primarily engaged in survey, it also undertakes clearance as part of the two-meter minefield boundary clearance and reduction of suspected mined areas. In 2000, MCPA reduced or cleared about 3 million square meter mine contaminated area as part of the two-meter minefield boundary clearance and reduction of suspected mined areas and destroyed 120 AP mines, 22 AT mines and 332 UXO. Reduction of suspected mined area during the survey process is an important element of the technical survey as it saves significant mine clearance resources.

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META) is responsible for monitoring and evaluating mine action operations in the field and is funded by, and reports, to MAPA. It has 74 employees. In 2000, META conducted 172 demining training courses attended by approximately 4,000 mine action personnel. In mid-2000, UNDP commissioned the first pilot training course for senior level national mine action managers at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, which was attended by the directors of META and MDC. Similar projects are planned for senior and mid-level managers.

The Taliban’s defense spokesperson told Landmine Monitor, “We only clear landmines which we come across.... Other planted mines are still there in the ground and their clearance belongs to the demining organizations to which we provide all possible support.”[39]

On 5 August 2000, unknown assailants killed seven members of two OMAR mine awareness teams including a driver, in Sabzak district of Badghais province in the west of the country. The only survivor of this ambush was one driver. The assailants first fired at the two vehicles carrying the teams with automatic machine guns and then set them on fire. The mine awareness teams were on their way to Herat after a field mission in Badghais province. Following the killings, MAPA suspended all mine action activities in Badghais and Faryab provinces and as of June 2001 the suspension was still in place due to security reasons. However, mine action operations may start soon in Faryab province from the RMAC in Mazar-sharif. The killings were condemned by NGOs working in Afghanistan as well as by the United Nations and a number of countries.[40]

Reconstruction and Development

In 2000, MAPA conducted a study on the Socio-Economic Impact of Mine Action in Afghanistan (SIMAA). The study is a follow-up to the 1998 Socio-Economic Impact Study by MCPA and is part of a World Bank and UNDP Afghanistan “Watching Brief” project. The Socio-Economic Impact Study attempted to measure the social and economic impact of mines and mine action in the affected communities. Results of the study indicate that the economic loss due to a death from a mine accident in Afghanistan is estimated at $12,000 while the economic loss from a landmine injury is estimated at $9,000. Loss of animals to mine accident is estimated at about $2,500 per square kilometer annually. The net value of productivity of cleared agriculture land shows wide variation, ranging from $13,500 to $520,000 per square kilometer annually. The benefits from clearing irrigation areas were even more substantial, amounting to as much as $1.5 million per square kilometer annually in the provinces with the best conditions for agriculture productivity. The livestock sector’s contribution to gross domestic product was estimated at $508 million in 1998-1999. Net annual output value from livestock rearing from one square kilometer of grazing area varies regionally between $1,200 and $2,000. The benefits from the clearance of mined roads are considerable, over $250,000 annually per 50 kilometers.[41]

Mine Awareness Education

Mine awareness education is carried out throughout Afghanistan and for returning refugees in Pakistan and Iran. Its planning is based on civilian mine accident data from hospitals reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Health Organization (WHO), Handicap International (Belgium), and on requests from local organizations. The mine awareness education program in Afghanistan currently consists of 150 mine awareness trainers and approximately 2,000 community volunteers. Each NGO implements its awareness activities using a number of different approaches to presenting a core set of information.[42]

In the year 2000, 1,076,553 civilians received mine awareness education in various parts of the country. Implementing partners of MAPA have provided mine awareness education to more than 7 million people from 1990 to 2000.[43] The NGOs engaged in mine awareness education include:

Afghan Mine Awareness Agency (AMAA). AMAA conducts community based mine awareness education in Herat province and is based in Herat city. It has 14 employees. In 2000, AMAA provided mine awareness training to more than 47,000 people in Herat province. Its budget for 2000 was approximately $29,000.

Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS). The ARCS conducts limited mine awareness training in Kabul and Logar provinces. It has 13 employees. In 2000, ARCS provided mine awareness training to about 66,900 people, with funding provided by the ICRC.

Ansar Relief Institute (ARI). In the year 2000, this Iran (Mashad) based mine awareness organization provided mine awareness training to approximately 186,000 returning Afghan refugees. It has 41 employees. The training was mainly conducted at the UNHCR encashment centers and five border crossing points. Its budget for 2000 was approximately $137,000.

BBC Afghan Education Project (BBC/AEP). BBC/AEP disseminates mine awareness messages through its popular radio drama series “New Home, New Life” and in the illustrated magazine that accompanies the program. The series is broadcast on the Pashto and Persian services of the BBC World Service three days a week as well as from the Peshawar center of Radio Pakistan. BBC/AEP’s budget for 2000 was approximately $105,000.

Handicap International (Belgium – HI-B).[44] The community based mine awareness activities of HI-B are mainly concentrated in the southern region and Farah province of western region. HI-B has 73 employees. In the year 2000, 42 HI-B field staff and a network of 1,147 volunteers provided community based awareness training to more than 436,955 people. In November 2000, HI-B conducted a survey in central province of Ghazni to assess the needs in mine awareness and as a result of the survey, mine awareness activities in eight districts of this province started in February 2001. HI-B also collected more than 861 reports of UXO, as an integrated activity to mine awareness, and provided them to RMAC Kandahar for necessary action. HI-B’s budget for 2000 was about $270,000 (277,367 Euros). Main donors included European Union (DG1), Australia (Austcare), Christian Aid and HI-B. An evaluation program was conducted by an external consultant between April and May 2001.

Organization for Mine Awareness and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR). In 2000, OMAR provided mine awareness training to more than 447,000 people in various parts of the country. It has 95 mine awareness staff. OMAR distributed mine awareness materials including notebooks, posters, silk-screens, identification books and storybooks, which were designed to assist people who have received training to subsequently provide information and education to friends and family members.

Save the Children Fund-US (SCF-US). SCF-US continued its Landmine Education Project (LEP) in hospitals, clinics, mosques and Kuchi settlements in Kabul and in the surrounding districts of Paghman, Khaki Jabar and Sarobi. It employees 72 people. In the year 2000, SCF-US provided mine awareness training to more than 43,800 people through its employed field staff and a network of about 400 volunteers. Its budget for 2000 was approximately $238,000.

In addition to these organizations, mine survey and mine clearance NGOs also conduct mine awareness training in the vicinity of their work areas. In 2000, these NGOs provided mine awareness training to about 65,000 people.

In 2000, the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL) held several meetings with concerned Taliban authorities in Kabul and in northern parts of the country to encourage full implementation of their decree on landmines. Efforts to reach the authorities of the Northern Alliance met with difficulties due to security and logistical challenges in the Alliance controlled areas. The ACBL arranged a wide range of activities including public meetings, exhibitions, collection of petitions, and several sport events in various parts of the country as part of the Afghan Mine Action and Awareness Month (25 October to 25 November 2000). Two editions of the ACBL newsletter were published and distributed as well as 1,500 copies of a 30-page pictorial booklet, 2,000 copies each of two ACBL brochures and 1,000 copies of 2001 pictorial calendar.[45] In 2000, ACBL’s activities were mainly funded by Save the Children Sweden and MAPA/UNOCHA.

Research and Development

Technical staff from MAPA in cooperation with mine action NGOs carried out a metal detector trial from September 1999 to March 2000 in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Personnel from three internationally accredited independent research and development centers monitored the trial. The aim was to evaluate the suitability, sensitivity, and simulated minefield performance as well as durability factors that best replicated the situation of Afghanistan.[46] One finding was that some of the metal detectors currently used by MAPA do not meet UN standards and MAPA plans to put a proposal to donors for replacement of these detectors.[47] Two other trials, one on a new type of mine clearance machine and one on mine detecting dogs are in progress and results of the trials will be made available as soon as they are completed.

Evaluation of MAPA

MAPA, in collaboration with its partner NGOs, has developed a substantial number of new survey, clearance, and operational management techniques and procedures in the past ten years which have led to significant increases in the operational outputs, reduction in operating costs and improved safety for mine clearance personnel. Many of these developments have been subsequently utilized or adopted by mine action programs in other mine-affected countries. MAPA has conducted a number of studies/trials to improve overall management and clearance efficiency in 2000.

Before approving continued funding, however, a number of donor countries and agencies requested further evidence of MAPA’s impact and recommendations on how to develop the program. An evaluation mission was commissioned with funding provided by Canada, Japan and the UK, to determine the benefit of the program in terms of humanitarian and socio-economic impact, technical effectiveness, management efficiency, political considerations, and effective, efficient and transparent use of funds. It was asked to make recommendations for the improvement of MAPA’s efficiency and to consider options leading to a UN exit strategy. The evaluation team consisted of two independent international and two national consultants and the mission took place from 26 October to 7 December 2000, inside Afghanistan including Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Herat, as well as Islamabad and Peshawar in Pakistan. The evaluation process included meetings with MAPA officials, mine action NGOs and the relevant government authorities; detailed review of all administrative and operational standing operating procedures (SOPs); visits to field operations and mine affected communities, and meetings with other concerned national and international NGOs and the UN Agencies. The evaluation provided a set of comprehensive operational recommendations to MAPA for consideration and necessary action but detailed findings and results have not yet been made public.[48]

Landmine Casualties

Information on landmine casualties in Afghanistan is very limited and to a large extent deficient as most data collection on landmine casualties is not systematic or well coordinated. Studies have been undertaken by various agencies including ICRC, MAPA, Save the Children–US and local NGOs. The degree to which data collected is representative of the whole country is unknown. In addition, the data collection “is not based on any well-conceived sampling technique, and double counting may occur among the agencies involved.”[49] Part of the problem with systematic and reliable data collection is also the ongoing conflict and casualties in isolated and remote areas that go unreported. Almost 50 percent of mine victims are still believed to die before reaching a medical facility.

In order to streamline landmine casualty data collection, a joint effort is underway for comprehensive data collection by WHO, ICRC and MAPA. The ICRC indicates that it has improved the data collection system and cooperation with 280 hospitals/clinics supported by ARCS, Aide Medical International (AMI), HALO Trust, Health Net, Ibn Sina, Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) and Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA).[50] The ICRC has improved its mine victim data collection program by training more staff as well as by modifying the existing database. In the meantime, MAPA is in the process of establishing the Afghan Mine Victim Information System (AMVIS) involving some of the MAPA’s mine awareness NGOs, as well as other aid organizations like ICRC, HI and community mechanisms.[51]

In 2000, the ICRC recorded 1,114 mine and UXO casualties throughout Afghanistan,[52] which is close to the 1,003 casualties recorded by MAPA in the same period. There has been a significant decline in the number of casualties reported for 2000 compared to 1999. According to data collected by MAPA and the Afghan Campaign, there were on average about 130 reported mine casualties per month in 1999.[53] The data collected by MAPA and the ICRC for 2000 would indicate an average of about 88 reported mine casualties per month.

These reported totals would not, however, reflect the total number of new mine casualties, since many go unreported. MAPA estimates that there were between 150 and 300 landmine casualties per month in 2000.[54]

An analysis of the ICRC data for 2000 revealed that 92 percent of the casualties were male, and 49 percent of the casualties were under 18 years old.[55] Landmines were the cause of 46 percent of the casualties, while UXO accounted for 49 percent and 5 percent by unknown explosive devices. Analysis of MAPA’s data shows that of the 1,003 cases, 401 were male, 31 were female and 571 were children under 18 years of age, which means that more than half of the mine and UXO casualties in 2000 involved children. The analysis of MAPA’s mine and UXO data by type of explosive devices is very similar to that of ICRC.[56]

The number of demining accidents to MAPA’s deminers and surveyors declined in 2000, when compared to 1999. In the year 2000, four deminers died and ten were injured, while in 1999 four deminers died and 21 were injured. MAPA’s record of demining casualty incidents indicates that from 1990 to February 2001, 34 deminers and surveyors were killed and 544 injured during mine clearance operations.[57]

Survivor Assistance

The limited aid provided to disabled persons including landmine survivors in Afghanistan comes from national and international NGOs, while a government department called “Department for Martyrs and Disabled Persons” also provides some assistance to persons with disabilities and families of martyrs. In Afghanistan approximately 26 organizations and NGOs provide assistance to disabled persons, including landmine survivors, but only six of these are actively and directly involved in providing various types of assistance to disabled persons and landmine survivors. These organizations include:

Comprehensive Disabled Afghans’ Programme (UNOPS/CDAP).

UNOPS/CDAP operates a community based rehabilitation and primary education programme for disabled persons, including landmine survivors, in 46 districts of 12 provinces of Afghanistan. It is based in Peshawar (Pakistan) with five regional offices in Kandahar, Ghazni, Herat, Mazar, Takhar, and two offices in Kabul and Farah. UNOPS/CDAP’s main area of work includes orthopedic services, physiotherapy, employment support, home-based therapy, special education and primary education. In the year 2000, approximately 400 paid staff (77 percent male and 23 percent female) and a network of approximately 2000 community volunteers were engaged in the program. Due to a shortfall in budget in 2000, UNOPS/CDAP had to reduce its community rehabilitation program from 64 to 46 districts. In the year 2000, it assisted approximately 35,000 people with services delivered through four orthopedic workshops, 28 community rehabilitation and development centers (CRDCs) and 112 community based primary schools. UNOPS/CDAP’s budget for 2000 was about $1.7 million and the main donors were UNDP, SIDA, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.[58]

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).[59] The ICRC operates from its head office in Kabul, and offices in Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Gulbahar, and Ghazni. Currently, the orthopedic program provides services through facilities in Kabul (since 1998), Mazar-i-Sharif (since 1991), Herat (since 1993), Jalalabad (since 1995), and Gulbahar (since 1999). The ICRC’s orthopedic centers employ 259 persons (including 30 women). The orthopedic centers produce prostheses, orthoses, crutches and wheelchairs while other orthopedic components are produced in the Kabul center. The orthopedic centers also provide physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs as well as training for staff.[60] In 2000, ICRC produced 4,600 prostheses, 6,360 orthoses, 10,681 pairs of crutches and 865 wheelchairs. ICRC also registered 1,963 amputees and 4,272 people with other disabilities.

Sandy Gall's Afghanistan Appeal (SGAA). SGAA mostly engages in physical rehabilitation for disabled persons. It has a rehabilitation center in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, five outreach units in Kabul and one in Peshawar (Pakistan). SGAA employs 80 people (including 20 women). In 2000, SGAA provided various rehabilitation services to about 7,800 people and provided 310 prosthetic legs, 1,200 rubber feet, 2,560 prosthetic & clipper joints, 1,450 different kinds of orthoses, 360 wheelchairs, and 5,100 walking aids to people with various types of disabilities including mine survivors. In 2000 SGAA’s main donors were the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and UNICEF.

Guardians. Guardians provide physical rehabilitation services to people with disabilities, including landmine survivors, and limited health services. It has 48 employees (including eight women). Its main rehabilitation center is located in Kandahar and it has two health units in Quetta (Pakistan). In 2000, Guardians registered approximately 3,100 new patients and provided 614 prostheses, 653 orthoses and 2,330 walking aids to both new and old patients.[61]

Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises (SERVE).[62] Enabling & Mobilizing Afghan Disabled (EMAD) is a SERVE project on rehabilitation and education for disabled persons, including landmine survivors, in five districts of Kabul province. EMAD has 25 employees and a network of about 60 community volunteers. Its main activities include survey and counseling, training in daily living skills, orientation and mobility, manual dexterity skills, employment support services, community mobilization, home based functional skills training, physiotherapy, and integration of school age disabled children in normal schools. In addition, it provides special education services to visually impaired children and low vision education and materials to low vision children as well. In 2000, EMAD provided training to more than 700 disabled people in various fields and established seven community development committees. EMAD’s budget for 2000 was approximately $100,000.

International Assistance Mission (IAM). IAM provides a variety of rehabilitation services to disabled people in Afghanistan including landmine survivors. It operates the Noor Eye hospital in Kabul and eye clinics in Herat and Mazar-i-Sahrif and provides financial and technical support to the Physiotherapy School of Kabul and the Blind School of Kabul as well as providing limited vocational training and primary mental health care.[63]

Included in the organizations indirectly supporting the disabled/mine survivors are ABRAAR, KJRC, SSC, WHO, CARE International, Habitat, Handicap International (Belgium) and Afghan NGOs Coordination Bureau (ANCB). UNOPS/CDAP serves as the national coordinating body for all the rehabilitation services provided to disabled persons by the NGOs.

The National Manager of UNOPS/CDAP, Dr. Farooq Wardak, told Landmine Monitor that while there is currently no national law on disability in Afghanistan, UNOPS/CDAP is working with other partners to develop legislation.[64] Other measures undertaken by UNOPS/CDAP include development of a better coordination mechanism, development of a national strategy on disability, unification of prosthetic and orthotic technology, development of a national curriculum for physiotherapy, development of a national dictionary of about 2,000 songs for persons with impaired hearing and establishment of a Physiotherapy School in Kabul. Dr. Farooq described the progress made in these areas “encouraging.”[65]

The following table summarizes national data of the orthopedic workshops/centers operating in Afghanistan.

Orthopedic workshops and centers operating in Afghanistan[66]

Location
Run by
Staff
Total Annual Production
(in pieces)
City
Province
Male
Female
Kabul
Kabul
ICRC
219
30

22,516
Jalalabad
Nangarhar
ICRC
Mazar-I-Sharif
Balkh
ICRC
Herat
Herat
ICRC
Gulbahar
Parwan
ICRC
Mazar-I-Sharif
Balkh
UNOPS/CDAP
32
3
5,216
Taloqan
Takhar
UNOPS/CDAP
Faizabad
Badakhshan
UNOPS/CDAP
Ghazni
Ghazni
UNOPS/CDAP
Kandahar
Kandahar
GUARDIANS
40
8
3,579
Jalalabad
Nangarhar
SGAA
25
3
2,961
Khost
Paktia
KJRC
4
0
350
Total
320
44
34,622

The various rehabilitation services provided are still far short of meeting the needs of disabled persons in general and landmine survivors in particular. Funding for some of the organizations working in the field of disability are on the decline. As noted above, UNOPS/CDAP had to reduce its work from 64 to 46 districts in 2000.[67]

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[310] Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Head of Operations and Spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Taliban, Kabul, 4 April 2001.
[311] Interview with Qudratullah Jamal, Minister of Culture and Information of Taliban, Kabul, 24 April 2001.
[312] Interview with Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, ousted president of Afghanistan and Head of the Northern Alliance, Faizabad, Afghanistan, 3 May 2001.
[313] Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Kabul, 4 April 2001.
[314] Ibid.
[315] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Program Manager MAPA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 April 2001.
[316] Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Kabul, 4 April 2001.
[317] Interview with Mohammad Younus, Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META), Ottawa, 9 June 2001.
[318] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Program Manager MAPA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 April 2001.
[319] Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Kabul, 4 April 2001.
[320] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Program Manager MAPA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 April 2001.
[321] MAPA, Annual Work Plan for the Year 2000.
[322] Interview with General Fahim, Minister for National Security at the Rabbani government, Faizabad, Afghanistan, 5 May 2001 and Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Head of Operations and Spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Taliban, Kabul, Afghanistan, 22 April 2001.
[323] Interview with Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, Head of the Northern Alliance, Faizabad, Afghanistan, 3 May 2001.
[324] The News (Islamabad/Rawalpindi edition), 25 May 2001; “Anti-Taliban alliance admits receiving foreign military support,” Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 24 May 2001.
[325] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Program Manager MAPA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 15 May 2001.
[326] Interview with General Fahim, Faizabad, Afghanistan, 5 May 2001.
[327] Interview with Zamannudin, a PFM mine victim, Faizabad, Afghanistan, 5 May 2001. He was injured in early April 2001 while collecting firewood on the Afghan side of the Ammo River, in Darwaz district of Badakhshan province. Zamanuddin had reached a hospital in Faizabad, Badakhshan after traveling for three days on a donkey. Zamannudin had to amputate his left foot above ankle joint. According to Zamanuddin, these mines also injured one other person, two horses, and one cow in the same area.
[328] MAPA, National Operational Plan for 2001, p. 2.
[329] UNDP/The World Bank, “Study of Socio-economic Impact of Landmines in Afghanistan,” June 2001, p. 6.
[330] MAPA, Monthly Progress Report for December 2000, 13 February 2001, p. 1.
[331] Ibid.
[332] Ibid.
[333] Survey Action Center, “Global Landmine Survey fact sheet,” February 2001.
[334] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Islamabad, 15 May 2001.
[335] Austria provided $200,000 in 2000 (to MCPA via UNOCHA) while Germany provided approximately $600,000 in special funds directly to MDC.
[336] Interview with Asif Karim, Head of Administration and Finance UNOCHA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 7 June 2001.
[337] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Islamabad, 15 May 2001.
[338] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Islamabad, 16 April 2001.
[339] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Islamabad, 15 May 2001.
[340] Interview with Kefayatullah Eblagh, Director ATC, Peshawar, Pakistan, 13 June 2001.
[341] Interview with Asif Karim, Head of Administration and Finance UNOCHA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 7 June 2001.
[342] For the locations and areas of responsibilities for the RMAC, see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 462.
[343] Ibid.
[35] Information provided by MAPA, 13 May 2001.
[36] MAPA, Monthly Progress Report for December 2000, 13 February 2001, p. 1.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Richard Boulter, Desk Officer Europe, The HALO Trust, 26 July 2001.
[39] Interview with Mawlavi Agha Mohammad Faizan, Kabul, 4 April 2001.
[40] While the killings were investigated by UNOCHA, the assailants and the motive behind the killings remain unknown. Taliban and the opposition have traded accusations over who carried out the killing. Mullah Khairullah blamed the men of Ismail Khan, former governor of Herat province for the killings. Interview with Haji Fazel Karim Fazel, Director OMAR, Peshawar, Pakistan, May 21, 2001; The News, (Islamabad/Rawalpindi edition), 6 August 2000; Special Edition of “AMN” magazine run by OMAR, Peshawar, December 2000, pp. 29-46.
[41] UNDP/The World Bank, Study of Socio-Economic Impact of Mine Action in Afghanistan, June 2001. p. V.
[42] MAPA, National Operational Plan for 2001, p. 9.
[43] MAPA, Monthly Progress Report for December 2000, 13 February 2001, p. 1.
[44] Response by email from HI-B, Pascal Rigaldies, to Landmine Monitor, 16 July 2001.
[45] These publications were both in English and local languages such as Pashtu and Dari.
[46] MAPA, Summary of Metal Detector Trial Report, September 1999 to March 2000.
[47] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Program Manager MAPA, Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 April 2001.
[48] Interview with Richard Daniel Kelly, Islamabad, 16 April 2001 with inputs from Qadeem Tariq, a member of the evaluation team.
[49] UNDP/The World Bank, Study of Socio-Economic Impact of Mine Action in Afghanistan, June 2001, p. 10.
[50] ICRC, Briefing to MAPA forth review conference 26-28 January 2000, Kabul, Afghanistan.
[51] MAPA, National Operational Plan for 2001, p. 5.
[52] ICRC, mine victim data presented in the mine action fourth review conference, Kabul, Afghanistan, 26-28 February 2001. Updated total of 1,114 provided by ICRC, Isabelle Daoust, by email on 11 July 2001.
[53] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 466. MAPA recorded 1,771 mine casualties from January 1999 through January 2000. ACBL recorded 2,004 mine casualties from January 1999 through April 2001.
[54] MAPA, Work Plan for the Year 2000.
[55] ICRC, mine victim data presented in the mine action fourth review conference, Kabul, Afghanistan, 26-28 February 2001.
[56] Data provided by MCPA/MAPA Database, 24 April 2001.
[57] MAPA, Monthly Progress Report for February 2001. p. 3
[58] Response to Landmine Monitor by email from Hayatullah Wahdat, ICRC, 3 July 2001.
[59] Response to Landmine Monitor by fax from Lau Dyg, ICRC, 15 July 2001.
[60] “ICRC In Afghanistan,” (Fact Sheet) December 2000.
[61] Response to Landmine Monitor by fax from Humayoon Acheckzia, Guardians, 9 July 2001.
[62] Response to Landmine Monitor by email from Abdul Basir Miakhel, SERVE, 16 July 2001.
[63] Interview with Hayatullah Wahdat, Information Officer CDAP, 13 July 2001and IAM, Afghanistan (Brochure).
[64] Interview with Dr. Farooq Wardak, Program Manager UNOPS/CDAP, Peshawar, Pakistan, 1 May 2001.
[65] Ibid.
[66] Interview with Hayatullah Wahdat, Information Officer UNOPS/CDAP, Peshawar, Pakistan, 1 May 2001.
[67] Interview with Dr. Farooq Wardak, Program Manager UNOPS/CDAP, Peshawar, Pakistan, 1 May 2001.