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De-mining resumes on main Afghan road – UN

De-mining resumes on main Afghan road – UN

De-mining work has resumed along parts of the Kabul to Kandahar road, one of Afghanistan’s most important routes for commerce and relief aid, after extra security measures were put in place following a recent rash of attacks, the United Nations said today.

The situation continues to be assessed and further work will resume if conditions are considered safe enough for the de-mining teams, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told a briefing in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

De-miners along the road had come under renewed rocket attack last week. UNAMA and local authorities have been looking into why they have been frequent targets. There are about 8,000 de-miners in Afghanistan.

The Mission has said that whatever the motivation, the impact has been tremendously negative, as about 55 per cent of the areas contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance is in grazing areas and about 29 per cent of all the contaminated area was agricultural land.

Heavy rains, melting snow, floods and mudslides in the north east of the country have recently moved landmines onto or near roads causing a potential danger to people travelling in the area and teams from the UN Mine Action Centre and de-mining non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are set to start mine clearance there today.

On a more positive note, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today that it expected a very good harvest in Afghanistan this year, “probably the best in 25 years for different reasons.”

The main reason is sustained and good rainfall in almost all the country from December up to now, allowing farmers to plant a much bigger area than before, FAO Senior Food Advisor Hector Maletta told the briefing.