Godar village, previous frontline between Taliban and Northern Alliance, now mine-free

Ahmad Shah (left), a local villager, discusses the benefits of mine clearance with a deminer

Ahmad Shah, a local resident of Godar, leads a visitor around his village, pointing out patches of land where minefields once existed. Godar is located in an area of Parwan province that suffered heavy fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance in 1999. The clashes left lands contaminated with anti-personnel and anti-tank mines as well as unexploded ordinance (UXO), seriously hampering economic and agricultural activities. Continue reading

Afghanistan success story. Potentially a million casualties saved by effective, targeted, well planned mine action

Newly appointed UNMAS Programme Unit Chief, Paul Heslop, visits MACCA

The newly-appointed United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Programme Unit Chief, Paul Heslop, visited the Mine Action Coordination Center of Afghanistan (MACCA) for four days in November to reaffirm UNMAS’ commitment to the project and witness activities first-hand. Continue reading