Just how many American soldiers are on the ground in Afghanistan is known only to a few. But what is in the ground is known to all: Afghanistan is one of the most-heavily mined countries on earth.
Thousands of Afghans have been maimed or killed by the mines, and there are millions of mines, contaminating its fields and pastures, the perimeters of its airports and cities and who knows where else. Many were laid by the Soviets in the 1980s in their ill-fated war. Others date from the early '90s, when the Mujahadeen fighters turned on each other.
In recent years, a major de-mining effort had begun, with most of the dollars coming from the U.S. All that stopped in September. Now, American soldiers and fleeing Afghan refugees are both facing treachery underfoot.
Related Links
No related links are available
Jody Williams, founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Peter Kessler, spokesman for the UN High Commission on Refugees in Islamabad
Lt. General Dave Palmer, retired three start general, US Army, former superintendent of West Point
Sarah Warren, program development officer, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
