Posted on 07/02/2002 12:48:38 PM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — There is a story circulating among the sappers slowly clearing this former Soviet air base of land mines, which they say is revealing about the situation in Afghanistan.When the Soviets finally admitted defeat and were pulling out of Bagram in the late 1980s, they would drive across a thin metal span they nicknamed the Bridge of Freedom. As the convoys crossed, local Afghans lined the roads, taunting the soldiers and celebrating their victory.
"We may have lost the war," the Soviet soldiers would retort, "but our mines will still be killing your grandchildren."
Two decades later, that chilling prediction is fact.
By most accounts, Afghanistan is the most heavily mined country in the world. Land mines continue to injure 300 people each month, including many children, according to the United Nations.
Bagram air base was once littered with as many as 15,000 unexploded land mines, but American military officials on Friday said that teams have now cleared 75 percent of the base’s interior.
The painstaking process has helped coalition forces reclaim areas of the base that previously had been unusable, but has also come at a cost. At least six workers clearing mines have been killed or wounded in the process, as have several Afghan civilians.
In the most recent instances, a Polish sapper was seriously wounded last week when he stepped on an old Soviet anti-personnel mine. Days earlier, a 12-year-old Afghan boy was killed when he strayed from a walking path in a known minefield near Bagram’s perimeter.
"I’d heard about just how bad the problem was, and after working here, I believe it," said U.S. Army Maj. Rod, an engineer from the 416th Engineer Brigade from Illinois who is coordinating the demining program but did not want his full name used.
"My family knows I’m here, but they don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t want to worry them," he said.
On Friday morning, the major was overseeing a small crew of contracted mine-sweepers clearing areas near the checkpoint at Bagram’s front gate. The team consisted of a former New Zealand army specialist and three Bosnian sappers, all working for Ronco Consulting Corp., a company based in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the private firm, sappers from Poland and Norway have been used to clear land mines from the base.
The team used two German Shepherds, which were trained in San Antonio, Texas, to recognize the smell of explosives.
The dogs and their handlers work in 30-foot squares, with the dog in front. If the dog smells explosives, it will sit three feet away and point in the direction of the smell. The handler will then inspect the area.
If a mine is found, the handlers will destroy it in place, said Fred Eastall, the New Zealander who leads the Ronco team.
"The dogs are trained to smell explosives, but it’s sort of like smelling perfumes," Eastall said. "There are just so many kinds."
In fact, he said, there are about 700 different varieties of mines in the world, ranging from large metal anti-tank mines to the smaller, plastic anti-personnel mines that dominate in Bagram.
The sappers work seven days a week, from 4 a.m. until 11 a.m. The early mornings help keep the dogs out of the heat and allow the workers to avoid the human and vehicle traffic later in the day.
"Of course I am afraid," said Zoran Kusman, one of the Bosnian sappers. "But anywhere the dog says is clear, I would feel safe walking there."
"I’d heard about just how bad the problem was, and after working here, I believe it," said U.S. Army Maj. Rod, an engineer from the 416th Engineer Brigade from Illinois who is coordinating the demining program but did not want his full name used.
"My family knows I’m here, but they don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t want to worry them," he said.
Well, you know, it's not like printing his unit and home State don't help narrow it down a little bit... Sheesh...
On the demining: Wouldn't it be easier to herd sheep or something through the base, then go in with sappers? Or what about a daisy-cutter fuzed for airburst? I wish the sappers the best of luck and health!
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