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Old Ordnance a Problem for Coalition Forces

Navy NewStand

Story Number: NNS030317-03
Release Date: 3/17/2003 9:57:00 AM

By Chief Journalist (SW) Douglas H Stutz, U.S. Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia Public Affairs

NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN (NNS) -- Even in this age of smart bombs, servicemembers from all four branches supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) find out quickly that antique ordnance still causes a fair share of casualties at Bagram Air Base. Landmines are the biggest problem troops face.

Coalition forces are told landmines in Afghanistan are said to number in the millions. But recently, concern was on a freshly-located handful in the mud in front of the base's airfield tarmac. Looking like a recently-sprouted cluster of metallic mushrooms, these anti-personnel mines were sitting on Bagram Air Base, home to approximately 5,000 coalition forces.

Unfortunately, the base is a resting place for a wide assortment of dropped, discarded and disbursed unexploded ordnance, ranging from minuscule mines designed to take off a foot to rusty Soviet-era bombs intended to level a building.

"Every inch of this ground is a potentially hazardous area," said U.S. Army Capt. Donald R. Weakley Jr., company commander of the 705th Ordnance Company, explosive ordnance disposal. Weakley is forward-deployed from Fort Polk, La., to support OEF missions at Bagram. "This base has been bombed and attacked numerous times over the past 20 years. We have found tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance and still have a long way to go."

The mines are everywhere. Shifting weather conditions cover, shuffle and resurface them. During the initial stages of taking over the former Soviet jet fighter base, servicemembers dared not even walk around due to the presence of mines. Trying to negotiate through a possible mine field, someone once quipped, is akin to dancing on hell's kitchen.

According to recent statistics compiled by a number of worldwide agencies, such as the United Nations (UN) and International Red Cross Committee (IRCC), Afghanistan has the dubious distinction of topping the list of countries with landmines. After almost 25 years of warfare, there's an estimated 10 million landmines still scattered throughout the country. An estimated 200,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded by mines during that time.

UN figures for 2001 report that on average, 150-300 people were killed each month by mines or unexploded ordnance. The IRCC reports that there were 5,168 casualties between March 1998 and June 2002. That adds to the more than 1,500 people injured between 1980 and 1998 as a result of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

"On a daily basis, local nationals are brought to our medical facilities due to stepping on mines," Weakley said. "When traveling off base, the main roads, such as to Kabul, are fairly safe. I have not seen any activity of mines being reseeded in the local roads. However, if you travel off the road the risk of mines is very high."

Because of that, the first thing people learn upon arriving is to stay on the concrete. Many fields, including most along the active runway and taxiways, have mines. In some areas, teams have found two-to-three mines per square yard, and it could take at least two years, if not more, to clear the entire base.

Currently it's one cautious step at a time.

"Only about 15 percent of the base has been cleared," Weakley stated. "There are both marked and unmarked mine fields that stretch for miles and surround our perimeter. There are also some mines that can last 50 years or longer."

Despite the inherent dangers, U.S. and coalition forces have managed to take the threat in cautious stride. They organized a "Minefield Marathon" back in November, which even started with a bang. Instead of a traditional starter's pistol, a mine was detonated to begin the event.

Following a well-marked and supervised route, hundreds of servicemember runners from United States, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Slovakia and South Korea traversed the 26.2 mile course. Safety and security was paramount, and all participants stayed on the beaten path. Because dancing on hell's kitchen is no way to finish a run. Or a deployment.