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By Sue Wixley (media@icbl.org)

(Washington DC, 13-Oct-2001) The ICBL, saddened by the deaths of four employees of ATC demining organisation, urges all parties to accept the international norm rejecting any use or possession of antipersonnel mines in Afghanistan.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is deeply saddened by the death of four employees of the demining organisation, Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) and the injury of four others, following a United States (U.S.) air strike on 9 October during which an ATC office was hit. The ATC, which is supported by the European Union and is a partner of the United Nations, has worked for 12 years in the world's most mine-affected country.

The ICBL notes that international humanitarian law requires that a distinction be made between civilian and military targets.

The ICBL is extremely concerned about possible use of antipersonnel landmines during military operations in Afghanistan. There have been unconfirmed press accounts of U.S. use of CBU-89 Gator mines. The ICBL asks the U.S. government to confirm or deny these reports and calls on the U.S. and all other parties to the conflict to refrain from using landmines.

Neither the U.S. nor Afghanistan has joined the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines. The U.S., along with Turkey, is the only non-signatory of the treaty among the 19 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Taliban, which is not recognized by the UN and therefore cannot accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, imposed a ban on antipersonnel mines in a decree by their Supreme Leader in 1998. The Northern Alliance admitted to an EU mission earlier this year that they continue to use antipersonnel landmines. Both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance have accused each other of using mines.

The ICBL calls on all parties to accept the international norm rejecting any use or possession of antipersonnel mines, which has been established by the Mine Ban Treaty.

If the U.S. or other forces (non-signatory) were to use antipersonnel mines in a joint operation, this could put States Parties such as the U.K. at risk of violating the Mine Ban Treaty. The ICBL reminds States Parties that Article 1 of the treaty stipulates that they should not assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention? The ICBL therefore calls on all States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty to insist that the United States does not use antipersonnel mines in Afghanistan or any other anti-terrorist operation.

The ICBL is concerned that many more civilians will be killed or maimed by mines as a result of the current situation in Afghanistan. The dropping of food packages could endanger civilians if they enter mined areas to collect the supplies. Mines will pose a serious danger to people fleeing the cities, into unfamiliar and possibly mine-contaminated areas (which may be unmarked) in the countryside or near border crossings and, to those that are temporarily settled and are carrying out tasks such as collecting water or firewood.

"We have already seen the devastating effects that mines can have on ordinary people in Afghanistan, and on soldiers, peacekeepers and aid workers," said ICBL Coordinator Elizabeth Bernstein, "and we are seriously worried that things will get worse."

Background

In the year 2000, there was an average of about 88 mine and UXO casualties recorded per month. It is believed that almost fifty-percent of mine victims in Afghanistan die before receiving medical attention. It is likely that mine incidents will rise as a result of the current situation, although exact casualty figures are not available as yet.

Mine action activities, including clearance, halted completely on 12 September 2001. This is a severe setback in a country where mine clearance of priority areas would probably take between seven and ten years if clearance rates had been maintained. An estimated 724 million square meters of land is known to be mine contaminated. According to the ICBL Landmine Monitor Report 2001, almost half of this land (some 344 million square meters) has been prioritized for clearance because it is used for agriculture and housing, amongst other purposes. Some mined areas remain unmarked and unmapped.

For more information please see the ICBL Afghanistan and Landmines page - www.icbl.org/country/afghanistan/