Sub-Sections:

Select SectionBeginning of Report - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mine Ban PolicyProduction and Transfer UseStockpiling and DestructionLandmine ProblemSurvey and AssessmentMine Action Coordination and PlanningMine ClearanceMine Risk Education Mine Action FundingLandmine CasualtiesSurvivor Assistance Disability Policy and Practice

LM Report 2004

Afghanistan

Key developments since May 2003: In 2003, 30 million square meters of mined land and 59.5 million square meters of former battlefield were cleared, destroying 17,884 antipersonnel mines, 5,259 antivehicle mines, and 1,347,238 UXO (including 12,804 cluster bomblets). In 2003, technical surveys were carried out on 29.2 million square meters of mined land and 45.7 million square meters of former battlefields. A comprehensive Landmine Impact Survey started in June 2003. A total of 2.22 million people were reported to have attended mine risk education sessions in 2003. Mine action funding has increased from $14 million in 2001 to $75 million in 2003.

A draft plan has been prepared to transfer responsibility of the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan from the United Nations to the national government. The government established a Mine Action Consultative Group to develop a national mine action policy. In March 2003, MAPA developed a strategic plan for mine action in Afghanistan over the next ten years that indicated that, with adequate funding, all mines in high-priority areas can be removed in five years, and all mines in low-priority areas can be cleared over the subsequent five years.

Afghanistan submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 1 September 2003, and its annual update on 30 April 2004. The Ministry of Defense estimates that there are at least 130,000 stockpiled antipersonnel mines in Afghanistan. From May 2003 through April 2004, a total of 5,911 stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed. The Ministry of Defense has drafted a strategic plan to destroy all stockpiled antipersonnel mines by the 1 March 2007 deadline, and established a Stockpile Destruction Working Group to coordinate and implement the plan. There have been some reports indicating new use of antipersonnel mines by Taliban or other opposition forces.

In October 2003, the “Comprehensive National Disability Policy” was created. The new 2004 Afghanistan Constitution commits the State to take measures to regulate medical and financial support to persons with disabilities, and their active participation and re-integration into society. In 2003, the ICRC recorded 847 new landmine/UXO casualties, representing a significant decrease from 1,460 new casualties recorded in 2002.

Key developments since 1999: Afghanistan acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 11 September 2002 and the treaty entered into force on 1 March 2003. Since the war and dramatic political and military changes in late 2001 and early 2002, mine action activities have expanded. From 1989 through December 2003, about 298 million square meters of mined land and 538 million square meters of battle areas were cleared. Approximately 288,830 antipersonnel mines, 18,421 antivehicle mines, and 4,366,890 UXO and cluster bomblets were destroyed. During the past five years, from 1999 to 2003, a total of about 132 million square meters of mined land was cleared, as well as 373 million square meters of battlefield areas. From 1999 to 2003, two NGOs surveyed 136 million square meters of mined land and 383 million square meters of battle areas. The Afghan government reports that mine risk education has been provided to 10.6 million people since 1990.

MAPA experienced a severe shortage of funds in 2000 and had to lay-off mine action teams; another funding shortfall prior to 11 September 2001 had threatened to again curtail mine action operations. Mine action operations were virtually brought to a halt following 11 September 2001. The mine action infrastructure suffered greatly during the subsequent military conflict, and military operations created additional threats to the population, especially unexploded US cluster bomblets and ammunition scattered from storage depots hit by air strikes. By March 2002, mine action had returned to earlier levels. Mine action funding has increased from $14 million in 2001, to $66 million in 2002, to $75 million in 2003.

The Northern Alliance used landmines throughout the period since 1999. The Taliban, which had declared a ban on mines in 1998, began using them again in 2001, and continued up to the present. Coalition forces are not known to have used mines.

The estimated number of new mine casualties has declined from 150 to 300 people a month in 2000 to 100 people a month in 2004. Since 1999, mine/UXO casualties have been reported in 33 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan. As of July 2004, UNMACA had collected data on 13,874 mine/UXO casualties since 1988, but stressed that this was not a comprehensive figure. The ICRC recorded 7,197 new mine/UXO casualties between 1999 and June 2004. In 2002, the Transitional Islamic Government of Afghanistan approved the establishment of a National Disability Commission. Since 1999, the ICRC opened two new orthopedic centers; and several local and international NGOs have opened or expanded programs that assist mine survivors and other persons with disabilities.

Mine Ban Policy

The Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 11 September 2002, and the treaty entered into force on 1 March 2003. Approval of accession came during Afghanistan’s first international conference on antipersonnel mines in July 2002, which was organized by the new government, the United Nations, ICBL and the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL). For years Afghanistan had an unstable political situation and uncertain international status and this in part constrained it from joining the Mine Ban Treaty earlier and from participating in the pro-ban international fora.^[1] Taliban authorities had imposed a national ban on mines through a decree on October 1998.

Afghanistan reports that the adoption of the new Constitution of Afghanistan in January 2004 has strengthened the country’s commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty as it requires the country to respect all international treaties it has signed.^[2] However, the government has not enacted domestic implementation legislation, or reported any legislative implementation measures of any type. Afghanistan submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 1 September 2003, covering 1 March 2003 to 1 September 2003. Its annual updated report was submitted on 30 April 2004, covering the period 1 September 2003 to 30 April 2004.

The new government attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2002, and has participated in every intersessional meeting since then, as well as the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2003. Afghanistan voted in favor of the pro-ban UN General Assembly resolutions in 2002 and 2003.^[3]

The Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines has been active in raising public awareness on the mine ban issue and in monitoring Mine Ban Treaty implementation. The ACBL was established in 1995 and is made up of national and international NGOs working in Afghanistan. Each year the ACBL holds the Afghan Mine Action And Awareness Month (AMAAM). In 2003, AMAAM focused on raising the awareness of government and local authorities regarding stockpile destruction obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty. In 2004, AMAAM initiatives included conferences, an exhibition and rallies held in the major cities of the country in April and May.

From 26–29 March 2004, the ACBL hosted the Asia-Pacific Landmine Monitor Researchers’ meeting. The opening ceremony was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with participation from high-level government officials and mine action practitioners. Vice-President Amin Arsalah reaffirmed the commitment of Afghanistan to the Mine Ban Treaty and called on neighboring states to join the treaty. Dr. Haider Reza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chair of the Mine Action Consultative Group, reported on the measures undertaken by the government to ensure treaty implementation. The Asian–Pacific participants met with the “Father of the Nation,” Afghanistan’s former king, Zahir Shah, who promised to support the Mine Ban Treaty.

Production and Transfer

Afghanistan has never been a landmine producing country, and currently does not have any landmine production facilities.^[4] In the past, large numbers of mines from numerous sources were sent to Afghanistan during the many years of fighting. In 1998, the Taliban denounced the import and export of anitpersonnel mines.^[5] There were allegations that the Northern Alliance/United Front was receiving mines from Russia and Iran. In 2002, mine clearance organizations reported finding Iranian-manufactured YM1 and YM1-B antipersonnel mines, date stamped 1999 and 2000, on recently abandoned Northern Alliance front lines.^[6]

In 2003, Pakistani armed forces on several occasions seized antipersonnel mines and other weapons in Baluchistan Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and claimed the arms were being smuggled by non-state actors from Afghanistan into Pakistan.^[7]

Use

The Ministry of Defense has instructed all military divisions and battalions through a circular letter to respect the comprehensive ban on antipersonnel landmines and the prohibition of the use of antipersonnel mines in any situation by militaries or individuals.^[8] Landmine Monitor is not aware of any allegations of recent mine use by government forces.

Local and international media have reported some incidents that appear to involve new use of antipersonnel mines by Taliban or other opposition forces that would be in violation of the Mine Ban Treaty. In September 2003, Afghan police defused two antipersonnel mines planted near the Blue Mosque in Kabul, apparently by Taliban insurgents.^[9] In April 2004, two antipersonnel landmines were discovered near the Hotel Intercontinental, one was alongside the main route into the hotel, about 200 meters from its entrance and the other beside a main thoroughfare about half a kilometer away.^[10] On 28 January 2004, a man was arrested while attempting to plant landmine-like explosive devices behind the Temorshahi school in Kandahar city.^[11] Also in January, four Taliban were killed in a clash with Afghan troops while they were planting landmines on a road often used by government soldiers.^[12] In March 2004, security forces discovered a small weapons production center, and seized different types of explosive materials used for making hand grenades and mine-like devices.^[13] During their military operations, Coalition and Afghan forces regularly find munitions caches with antipersonnel mines. (See Stockpiling section below).

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that an alarming trend emerged in 2003: the use of landmines as the basis for remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used to target Afghan government officials, national and international aid workers (including mine action personnel), and international troops operating in Afghanistan.^[14]

With respect to past use, most of the landmines in Afghanistan were emplaced during the Soviet occupation and the subsequent communist regime between 1980 and 1992. Landmines were also used in the internal fighting among various armed groups after 1992, particularly in Kabul city and its outskirts. The Taliban claimed to have stopped use in 1998, though some allegations persisted. The Northern Alliance admitted to use in 1999 and 2000, but said it stopped in 2001, despite evidence to the contrary.^[15] During the military operations in late 2001 and 2002, Northern Alliance, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda fighters all used landmines and booby-traps.

Stockpiling and Destruction

The size, location and composition of antipersonnel mine stockpiles in Afghanistan remains to be established. The Ministry of Defense estimates that there are 250 major ammunition storage points in Afghanistan that contain antipersonnel mines. Based on the number of found in eight of the storage points in Kabul, Afghanistan estimates that there are at least 130,000 stockpiled antipersonnel mines.^[16]

Afghanistan reports that from May 2003 through April 2004 a total of 5,911 antipersonnel mines were destroyed by ATC in Kabul and by OMAR in Herat on 12 May 2003; by Demining Agency For Afghanistan and Handicap International in Kandahar from 27 May to 5 June 2003; by Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) in Jalalabad on 14 August 2003; by ATC in Kunduz on 18 November 2003; and, by ATC at the Central Demolition Site in Kabul on 12 February 2004.^[17]

The February destruction was the culmination of a Stockpile Destruction Pilot Project conducted from December 2003 to February 2004 by the Ministry of Defense, with assistance from the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (UNMACA) and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The project was funded by Canada with a budget of US$19,000. A total of 1,366 antipersonnel mines and 2,490 POMZ-2M body casings were recovered from eight storage points around Kabul. Of these, 1,362 mines were destroyed on 12 February 2004 in the presence of VIPs and the media. The metal casings from the 2,490 POMZ-2M mines were melted and recast into manhole covers and iron grills for wood-burning stoves. The remaining mines were transferred to ISAF (203), UNMACA (153), and Afghan Technical Consultants (14).^[18] Afghanistan has reported that all of the mines have been rendered free of explosives and are being used for mine risk education and display purposes.^[19]

The Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with UNMACA, ISAF and the UN Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA), issued the “Draft Strategic Plan for the National Destruction of Anti-personnel Mines,” aimed at destroying all stockpiled antipersonnel mines by the 1 March 2007 treaty-mandated deadline. The Ministry of Defense declared, “This strategy for the national stockpile destruction of antipersonnel landmines will be used as basis for acquiring funds, commence drafting of registration, commence detail planning. Four years are not long time to meet the requirements of the Mine Ban Treaty. Afghanistan has only three years left and time is running out. However, we now have to draft a strategy to meet our obligation and we will meet our obligation by February 2007.”^[20]

On 11 April 2004, a Stockpile Destruction Working Group was established to coordinate and implement the plan. It is chaired by the Ministry of Defense and other members include the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Department of Disaster Preparedness/Department of Mine Clearance, Embassy of Canada, UNMACA, ISAF, ACBL and the Mine Action NGO, Executive Committee (MAPA’s implementing partner association).^[21]

In addition to the Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan notes that there are other players that will have to be consulted to determine if they hold stocks of mines, including the Ministry of Interior, National Directorate of Security, Kabul City Police, regional police, the Afghan Militia Forces, the Coalition Forces, and factional leaders.^[22] Afghanistan has noted that the successful implementation of the destruction program will depend on consultations and negotiations at multiple levels, on the progress of the Security Sector Reform process, including the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration program, and on the overall security environment in various regions.

During their military operations, Coalition Forces and the Afghan National Army continue to find munitions caches with antipersonnel mines. US forces recovered three munitions depots containing antipersonnel mines and other arms in Khost on 14 January 2004.^[23] On 13 March 2004, Coalition Forces destroyed 3,200 landmines along with other weapons found in several munitions depots in Ghazni, Paktika and Khost provinces.^[24] In April 2004, a joint US-Romanian patrol found 150 antivehicle mines, 80 antipersonnel mines and other weapons in the shed of a textile factory near Kandahar.^[25] In May 2004, a large ammunition cache including antipersonnel mines was found in a Taliban commander’s house in Surobi District, Kabul Province.^[26]

In its September 2003 Article 7 report, Afghanistan stated that since the number of stockpiled mines is unknown, it has not yet decided on the number of antipersonnel mines that will be retained for permitted training and development purposes.^[27] The April 2004 Article 7 report says that the government has yet to develop a policy on the number of mines to be retained, and that the Mine Action Consultative Group will address the issue during the next reporting period.^[28]

Landmine Problem

Afghanistan’s landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem is the consequence of more than 23 years of war against Soviet invasion (1979-1989), civil fighting (1989-2001) and the military operations against Al-Qaida and Taliban (since October 2001).

Afghanistan reports that 2,500 communities are impacted by landmines and UXO in an area totaling 1.3 billion square meters of land, including over 800 million square meters of minefields and 500 million square metes of battlefield areas.^[29] There are mined areas in almost every province, with heavier concentration and greater impact in the western, eastern, and southern regions. More extensive and accurate data on the impact of landmines and UXO is expected from the Landmine Impact Survey (see Survey and Assessment section of this report). Fifty-six different types of landmines from thirteen producer countries have been found in Afghanistan.^[30] The exact number of antipersonnel mines laid is unknown as minefields records remain incomplete.

The National Operational Work Plan for 2004/2005 indicates 872 million square meters of known mined areas as of March 2004. Of this, 468 million square meters are classified as high priority, which includes land to be used for productive economic and social purposes such as irrigation, farming, grazing, travel and residential and commercial use. Mine contamination continues to be a major hindrance to economic rehabilitation and development.^[31]

As the country has become more accessible, as refugees return, and as new surveys have been conducted, additional mined areas have been discovered. Since 1999, there has been an increase in the reported suspected mined areas and verified mined areas. In 1999, a total of 859 million square meters of affected land was identified; in 2000, 717 million square meters; in 2001, 724 million square meters; in 2002, 737 million square meters; and, in 2003, 872 million square meters.

Since 1989, the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan has cleared nearly 300 million square meters of mined areas and an additional 522 million square meters of battle area. During the operations, over 250,000 landmines and 3.3 million items of UXO have been destroyed.^[32]

Military operations following 11 September 2001 created additional threats to the Afghan population, especially unexploded U.S. cluster bomblets and ammunition scattered from storage depots hit by air strikes, as well as newly laid mines and booby-traps by Northern Alliance, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda fighters. During October 2001-March 2002 military operations, the United States dropped more than 1,200 cluster munitions containing nearly 250,000 submunitions (mostly BLU-97s).^[33] MAPA reports that the clearance of the hazardous duds from these submunitions has been a continuing concern. There were a total of 271 strike sites, of which 170 were cleared as of December 2003. The remaining accessible cluster strike sites were to be cleared by September 2004.^[34]

Survey and Assessment

Since the establishment of MAPA, surveys and assessments of the landmine and UXO problem in Afghanistan have been an ongoing process. The first “Afghanistan Mines Survey” was conducted by the British NGO, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in 1990, and published in February 1991. A General Survey conducted by the Mine Clearance Program for Afghanistan (MCPA) in 1993 and again in 1996 has been regularly updated with minefield and related information. In 1998, MCPA integrated a socio-economic component into the survey.

A comprehensive Landmine Impact Survey, also called the Retrofit Landmine Impact Survey of Afghanistan (RLISA), started in June 2003 and is expected to be completed in December 2004, to inform a strategic review process scheduled to begin in January 2005.^[35] The survey will verify the data that currently exists, and is aimed at producing a new, more accurate picture of the impact of mines and unexploded ordnance. The survey is being funded by the European Commission (EC), through the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and by Canada and Germany. The Survey Action Center (SAC) is the executing agency and the Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) is the implementing agency, supervised by UNDP and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The RLISA covers all affected districts and communities in 32 provinces of the country. Initially thirty survey teams, with a total of 84 field personnel, were deployed, but with only the southern provinces remaining to be surveyed, the survey teams were reduced to 20. As of 27 September 2004, 192 districts and 7,791 communities had been visited; of these 176 districts and 1,867 communities were found to be impacted: 204 are classified as high impact, 414 as medium impact and 1,307 as low impact.^[36] In addition, 3,771 areas were identified as Suspected Hazard Areas (SHA), of which 674, or 18 percent, experienced incidents causing injury or death. The LIS has found that the main socio-economic blockage is pastureland. Thirty percent of the suspected hazard areas are the sides of mountains, a finding with significant implications for future clearance planning.

Level Two Technical Surveys are undertaken where clearance operations are planned within a period of less than one year. The MAPA survey and assessment plan in 2003 was executed by the Mine Clearance Planning Agency and the HALO Trust.

The Mine Clearance Planning Agency has undertaken all types of surveys, including general surveys, technical surveys, battle area surveys, and socio-economic impact surveys since 1990. During 2003, MCPA surveyed, mapped and marked a total of 26,319,532 square meters of mined areas and 2,279,212 square meters of battlefield areas.^[37] MCPA employed 468 personnel, including 441 field staff in 47 survey teams. From 1990 to 2003, MCPA marked, mapped, and recorded 386 million square meters of mined land and 255 million square meters of battlefield areas.^[38] During the five past years, 1999 to 2003, MCPA has surveyed a total of 115.8 million square meters of mined land and 99.5 million square meters of former battlefields.^[39]

HALO Trust has been conducting general and technical surveys to facilitate its mine clearance work. In 2003, HALO surveyed a total of 2,929,273 square meters of mined areas and 43,419,144 square meters of battlefield areas.^[40] From 1999 to 2003, HALO identified a total of 20.2 million square meters of mined land and 283.9 million square meters of former battlefield areas.^[41]

In 2003, MCPA and HALO Trust surveyed a total of 29.2 million square meters of mined land and 45.7 million square meters of former battlefields. Together, from 1999 to 2003, they surveyed 136 million square meters of mined land and 383 million square meters of former battlefields.

Technical Survey 1999-2003 (in square meters)[42]

Year	MCPA		HALO Trust		Total
	Mined Land	Battlefield	Mined Land	Battlefield	Mined Land	Battlefield
1999	31,992,231	23,785,679	4,782,354	53,845,252	36,774,585	77,630,931
2000	27,000,000	32,000,000	4,030,756	62,755,753	31,030,756	65,955,753
2001	10,800,000	5,500,000	3,270,059	69,355,048	14,070,059	74,855,048
2002	19,700,000	35,900,000	5,200,954	54,495,734	24,900,954	90,395,734
2003	26,319,532	2,279,212	2,929,273	43,419,144	29,248,805	45,698,356
Total	115,811,763	99,464,909	20,213,396	283,870,931	136,025,132	383,335,840

MAPA’s target for 2004 is to survey 33.8 million square meters of mined areas and 34 million square meters of battlefield areas in all six regions of the country.^[43] Technical surveys and marking will be conducted on minefields for humanitarian and reconstruction purposes to allow the efficient application of clearance resources; there will also be permanent marking of low priority areas and high priority areas that currently cannot be cleared due to the demining technology within MAPA.

In 2003, the UNMACA’s Information Management System, which had been used since 1990, was converted into the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). The government’s Department of Mine Clearance and UNMACA use IMSMA for their program planning. The Landmine Impact Survey has been tasked with verifying the suspected hazard area (minefield) information in the MACA database as part of the survey process and, according to the Survey Action Center, has found approximately 40 percent of the information to be outdated and no longer valid.^[44]

Mine Action Coordination and Planning

The Mine Action Program in Afghanistan is one of the oldest and largest demining programs in the world. It was established in 1989 under the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA). In June 2002, responsibility for the program was transferred to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) with technical support from the UN Office for Project Services. MAPA is comprised of the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan and sixteen NGO implementing partners. UNMACA is the coordination body tasked with planning and technical supervision of all sectors of mine action, including mine and UXO clearance, mine survey, monitoring and training, mine risk education, support for landmine survivors, advocacy and capacity-building. It has eight Area Mine Action Centers (AMACs).

The government’s Department for Disaster Preparedness has a Department of Mine Clearance (DDP/DMC) in charge of policy-making, coordination and liaison between the government, UN and MAPA. In May 2003, the Mine Action Working Group transitioned into the Mine Action Consultative Group (MACG), tasked with developing a national mine action policy.^[45] The MACG is chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and includes other ministries concerned with mine action, DDP/DMC, donors, UN agencies, and mine action implementing partners.

In February 2004, the MACG initiated a planning process for the transfer of responsibility of MAPA from the United Nations to the national government. At the June 2004 intersessional Standing Committees meetings, Afghanistan announced that a draft plan for the transition to national management of mine action would be submitted to the MACG. Prepared with the support of UN, the International Security Assistance Force and the Ministry of Justice, the plan calls for the establishment of a national mine action authority directly under the President of Afghanistan’s Office.^[46] Some in the demining community in Afghanistan have expressed concern about the objective of creating a national program by 2005, citing a lack of capacity within the government, and believe the transition may be “premature at a point when the political outlook is so uncertain.”^[47] There is also concern that demining agencies might not be perceived as neutral anymore; many NGOs are sensitive to any change in the mine action program that gives it more of a government identity.^[48]

MAPA developed a strategic plan, released in early 2003, for mine action in Afghanistan over the next ten years. The strategic plan indicates that, with adequate funding, all mines in high-priority areas can be removed in five years (2003-2007) under an accelerated demining program, and all mines in low-priority areas can be cleared over the subsequent five years.^[49] Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty requires Afghanistan to have completed destruction of all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2013.

MAPA also supports the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration process in Afghanistan through the Mine Action for Peace Project (MAFP) designed to train demobilized combatants in community-based demining, mine risk education, and permanent marking.^[50] In 2003, Peace building funding for this project and stockpile destruction received 6 percent of all mine action funding in Afghanistan. MAFP aims to provide vocational training as well as employment and reintegration into their communities for a total of 8,334 demobilized soldiers. MAFP would provide mine action training, medical coverage, and insurance; employment for 13 months; vocational and literacy training and a reintegration grant. A pilot phase has begun in three locations – Kunduz, Parwan, Kabul – and 138 of the 1,000 combatants planned to be reintegrated at each location are to be deminers. The main phase is to take place on a country-wide basis and to include cities such as Mazar, Kandahar, Jalalbad and Herat.^[51]

Mine Clearance

The UNMACA database reports that from 1989 through December 2003, about 298 million square meters of mined land and 538 million square meters of battle areas were cleared. Approximately 288,830 antipersonnel mines, 18,421 antivehicle mines, and 4,366,890 UXO and cluster bomblets were destroyed. All cleared areas were classified as high priority. ^[52]

For 2003, UNMACA reports clearance of approximately 30 million square meters of mined land and 59.5 million square meters of former battlefield. A total of 17,884 antipersonnel mines, 5,259 antivehicle mines, and 1,347,238 UXO (including 12,804 cluster bomblets) were detected and destroyed.^[53]

During the past five years, from 1999 to 2003, a total of about 131 million square meters of mined land was cleared, as well as 373 million square meters of battlefield areas.

Area Cleared 1999-2003 (square meters)[54]

Year	Mined	Battle	Total
1999	34,273,586	75,519,376	109,792,962
2000	24,013,962	80,264,364	104,278,326
2001	15,695,034	81,248,488	96,943,522
2002	27,466,205	76,833,159	104,299,364
2003	30,048,843	59,502,345	89,551,188
Total	131,497,630	373,367,732	504,865,362

For 2004, MAPA’s targets are to clear 21,439,600 square meters of high priority mined land for humanitarian purposes; 9,227,600 square meters for reconstruction needs; and 73,920,000 square meters of battlefield areas.^[55] Clearance activities during 2004-2005 will initially follow the mine action general priority system, then will be based on the results of the Landmine Impact Survey. Under the current system, first priority includes: areas where rehabilitation and development projects are planned to begin immediately after clearance; areas where refugees or internally displaced persons are currently returning or will return immediately after clearance; areas where civilian mine/UXO casualties are occurring at a rate indicating a clear and imminent danger for the population; and, other areas that are vital to the population (life saving/life sustaining) and no other alternative exists. Clearance of these areas must be endorsed by local council/shura and benefit the community as a whole. Also on the first priority list are areas to be utilized by relief agencies for urgent or essential operations.^[56] The Department of Mine Clearance, district administrators, and province governors are closely involved in setting priorities for mine action.

Physical security remains a major concern for mine action agencies. Following the attacks on demining personnel in the south and southeastern provinces of Afghanistan, MAPA either suspended or reduced its demining activities in these provinces.^[57] The Landmine Impact Survey conducted a security assessment before starting operations in those provinces. The survey in the southern provinces was scheduled for completion by December 2004. In 2004, MAPA will not conduct operations in any areas where Coalition military operations are ongoing, where there is internal conflict, or where UN security assessments indicate that it is not safe to continue operations.^[58]

Mine action operations were virtually brought to a halt following 11 September 2001. The mine action infrastructure suffered greatly during the subsequent military conflict, as some warring factions looted offices, seized vehicles and equipment, and assaulted local staff. Four deminers and two mine detecting dogs were killed in errant U.S. air strikes. A funding shortfall for the mine action program in Afghanistan prior to 11 September 2001 had threatened to curtail mine action operations, as had also been the case in the last quarter of 2000. By March 2002, mine action operations had returned to earlier levels, and have since expanded beyond 2001 levels.^[59]

There are eight key organizations involved in mine clearance operations in Afghanistan. There are some discrepancies between clearance figures provided by UNMACA and those provided directly by mine action operators. The following table shows numbers received from UNMACA, while the following text reports the numbers received from the organizations.

Mine/UXO Clearance Activities by Agencies during 2003[60]

Agency	Minefield (km2)	Battlefield (km2)	AT	AP	UXO
AREA	1.001	0	0	15	67
ATC	4.149	6.424	516	5,187	485,151
DAFA	0.412	8.614	4,280	3,077	127,859
DDG	0.540	0	39	1,536	109,080
HALO Trust	20.579	43.419	245	6,573	171,255
MDC	2.910	0	181	76	69,482
OMAR	0.459	1.045	5	948	280,216
Total	30.05	59.502	5,266	17,412	1,243,110

* MF including special clearance tasks for reconstruction projects.

Mine/UXO Clearance Activities by Agencies from 1999 to 2002 [61]
(area in thousands of square meters)

Agency	1999		2000		2001		2002		Total MF	Total BAC
	Minefields	Battle Areas	MF	BAC	MF	BAC	MF	BAC
AREA	324	0	132	0	187	0	304	0	947	0
ATC	6,633	23,711	4,238	20,068	2,622	11,389	1,596	13,079	15,089	68,247
DAFA	2,954	62	2,879	0	1,353	3,500	370	17,465	7,556	21,027
DDG	0	0	56	0	136	750	803	2,964	995	3,714
HALO Trust	3,737	51,498	4,165	56,301	3,066	65,609	4,369	47,031	15,337	220,439
MCPA	425	248	293	368	120		63	0	901	616
MDC	16,718		10,385		6,305		9,859	232	43,267	232
OMAR	3,482		1,867	3,528	1,907		5,799	370	13,055	3,898
Total	34,273	75,519	24,015	80,265	15,696	81,248	23,163	81,141	97,140	318,173

Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), established in 1989, is one of the largest Afghan humanitarian national mine clearance organization.^[62] ATC implements mine clearance program in 29 provinces of Afghanistan. In 2003 it had an annual budget of US$6.5 million and received funds from UNMAS, Japan, EC, USAID, Germany, UK and UNA-USA. ATC activities include manual mine clearance, battle area clearance, mechanical mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal and mine risk education. In 2003, ATC employed 1,610 personnel. ATC reports clearance in 2003 of a total of 4,238,302 square meters of mined areas and the destruction of 6,012 antipersonnel mines, 508 antivehicle mines and 379,702 UXO.

ATC deminers have experienced the most mine accidents among the demining NGOs in Afghanistan. From 1989 until August 2004, 31 ATC deminers were killed and 284 injured in demining accidents.^[63] In 2003, five ATC demining staff was injured.

Agency for Rehabilitation & Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) is an Afghan NGO established in 1993. Since 1997 it has been conducting a Community Based Mine Clearance Program (CBMCP) in Nangahar province. The main objective of CBMCP is to empower the local population by providing them with the capacity to clear their land. AREA reports that for CBMCP in 2003 it received US$458,143. With 153 deminers, it cleared 458,504 square meters of grazing land, and destroyed 12 antipersonnel mines and 12,108 items of UXO.^[64] One deminer was killed and another injured in a mine incident in 2003. Since its inception CBMCP teams cleared a total of 1,981,053 square meters of land and destroyed 198 antipersonnel mines.

Danish Demining Group (DDG) is an international NGO that has been operational in Afghanistan since 1999.^[65] Its aim is to act as a force multiplier to the existing programs. DDG works in close coordination with Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META). DDG deploys three demining teams of 30 persons engaged in manual and mechanical clearance, and 12 Quick Response teams for EOD tasks. DDG employed 207 people in 2003. DDG’s demining teams cleared 577,607 square meters of mined area and its Quick Response teams cleared more than 400,000 square meters of land in 2003. More than 20,000 mines and 170,000 items of UXO were destroyed. Funding of approximately $4.3 million for 2003 was provided by DANIDA, SIDA and the European Commission (through UNMAS). In 2003, six DDG deminers were injured in three mine incidents.

Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) started its activities in 1990. Based in Kahandar, its manual and mechanical demining teams have been conducting clearance of battlefields and mined areas in the southern and western regions of Afghanistan, mainly in Kahandar, Helmand, Zabul, Urzgan and Nimroz provinces. DAFA says that in 2003 it received US$4.2 million from UNMAS/MACA. DAFA employed 831 people, including 662 field staff and cleared a total of 512,101 square meters of mined land and 8,613,943 square meters of battlefield area, destroying 354 antipersonnel mines, 59 antivehicle mines and 19,925 items of UXO. From 1990 to December 2003, DAFA destroyed 21,530 antipersonnel mines, 628 antivehicle mines and 31,5605 items of UXO.^[66] In the same period, seven deminers were killed and 141 injured during mine clearance operations; one deminer was injured and two others were killed in 2003.

The HALO Trust is a UK-based mine clearance agency working in the central and northern regions of Afghanistan since 1988.^[67] The HALO Trust Afghanistan program is one of the oldest and largest programs with over 2,000 employees. HALO works in nine provinces, carrying out general and technical survey, manual and mechanical clearance, UXO disposal and mine awareness training. Following the demise of the Taliban, HALO has expanded by 60 percent, with teams concentrating on the abandoned Northern Alliance/Taliban front line in the Shomali Valley, the Andarab Valley and between Kunduz and Taloqan. HALO also provides clearance assets for road construction projects, including Kabul–Doshi-Pul-i-Khumri to Sherkhan Bandar, Puli-Khumri to Mazar, and Mazar to Aqina roads. . In 2003 HALO cleared 2,910,405 square meters of minefields and 43,419,144 square meters of battle area, and destroyed 5,825 antipersonnel landmines, 292 antivehicle mines and 27,983 UXO. HALO’s annual budget for mine action operations in Afghanistan is approximately US$10.5 million. It receives funds from the governments of the United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland and Germany, and the European Commission, the Association to Aid Refugees (Japan), Roots of Peace and UNMAS. The Afghan government provides support through office space, storage facilities, and quality assurance monitoring.

Mine Detection and Dog Center (MDC) began mine action activities in 1989 with 14 mine detecting dogs donated by Thailand.^[68] MDC deploys 26 mine dog groups for mine clearance operations in all provinces, and 33 mine dog groups for minefield survey operations conducted in cooperation with MCPA and the Quality Management Inspection Teams (QMIT) of META. In 2003, MDC cleared a total of 14,244,697 square meters of mine and UXO contaminated land, including 1,834,026 square meters of agricultural land, 807,650 square meters of residential areas, 10,486,900 square meters for roads and 1,116,121 square meters of grazing land. During clearance operation, MDC destroyed 68 antipersonnel mines, 181 antivehicle mines, and 1,505 UXO. MDC employed 1,066 personnel, including 1,013 field staff, and received US$5,157,652 in 2003.

Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) is an Afghan NGO engaged in manual and mechanical mine clearance, EOD/UXO clearance, emergency health services, rehabilitation and mine risk education.^[69] It started mine clearance activities in 1992. OMAR reports that in 2003, with a budget of US$3.2 million and 750 personnel, it cleared 1,000,840 square meters of mined areas and 1,045,100 of former battlefield. It destroyed 922 antipersonnel mines and 5,552 UXO. OMAR received funds from UNOPS, Germany, NOVIB, Japan, Medico international, Japan International Volunteer Center and USAID. Since early 2002, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has provided EOD training to two OMAR teams to assist them to deal with new types of UXO found following the coalition activity with funds from Austria and Norway.^[70] In 2003-2004, MAG is providing an expatriate technical field manager to set up a quality management system for OMAR. MAG is also providing OMAR with specialist training in mechanical demining, using a Minecat 230 midi-flail which will be handed over to OMAR.^[71] During 2003, demining operations three OMAR field staff were injured in landmine incidents. Since 1992, fifteen OMAR deminers have been killed and 51 injured in mine clearance activities.

Mine Clearance Planning Agency is primary engaged in landmine surveys. It is implementing the Landmine Impact Survey with the Survey Action Center.^[72] It also undertakes clearance operations as part of two-meter minefield boundary clearance and reduction of suspected mined areas. In 2003, it cleared 1,063,351 square meters of mined areas. From 1990 to 2003 MCPA reduced or cleared about 34.2 million square meters of mined land as part of its survey work, and destroyed 6,138 antipersonnel mines, 730 antivehicle mines and 13,975 UXO.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META) was formed in early 1997 as an integral part of the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan.^[73] META has been responsible for conducting mine action technical and management training courses, monitoring and evaluation of demining operations, investigations into mine-related accidents and trials of technical and reference materials. Since its inception, META has conducted 1,400 technical training courses for new and existing field personnel of MAPA, and, in partnership with Cranfield University (UK), has run 10 management courses for managers and supervisors. In 2003, META established 16 two-men Quality Management Inspection Teams, which have carried out 460 Quality Assurance and 100 Quality Control inspections. META has investigated 353 accidents, 25 missed mine incidents and 20 non-demining accidents that have occurred within the program since 1990. It employs 200 people and has an annual budget of about US$1 million with funds from UNMAS, UNOPS, UNICEF, US Department of State, Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining, the World Bank, USAID, and DANIDA.

RONCO Consulting Corporation, a US commercial mine clearance contractor, continues to be engaged in mine action mainly for ISAF and military forces. Since 2002, it has been clearing Bagram Air Base.

Mine Risk Education

Organizations working in mine risk education (MRE) in Afghanistan have included the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), the Afghan Mine Awareness Agency (AMAA), the Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA), the Ansar Relief Institute (ARI), the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR), the BBC Afghan Education Project (BBC-AEP), the Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA), the HALO Trust, Handicap International (HI), INTERSOS, the Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), the Monitoring Evaluation and Training Agency (META), the Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), Save the Children-USA (SC-US) and UNICEF. UNMACA and UNICEF, with Afghan Government focal points (notably the Ministry of Education), coordinate MRE agencies.

The Afghan government reports that these 15 organizations have provided mine risk education to 10.6 million people since 1990.^[74] In addition, many more people attended short MRE briefings in schools or when returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan or Iran.^[75]

Mine Risk Education has been a component of the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) since its inception in 1989. Initially the program targeted refugees living in camps on or near the Pakistan border, with activities designed to disseminate the mine awareness message to large numbers of people in a short time. The program moved into Afghanistan in response to the critical needs of the population.^[76]

MAPA reports that it began in 2003 to focus more on community-based activities, aimed at assessing risk behaviors and seeking ways to change them.^[77] This approach is also aimed at integrating MRE into community structures such as local government agencies and education, health, and religious institutions. According to MAPA, fifteen agencies were engaged in MRE activities in 2003, and a total of 2,220,057 people were reported to have attended MRE sessions. In addition, MRE activities were conducted by primary school teachers throughout the country under the supervision of the Afghanistan Ministry of Education.

Number of Civilians Attending MRE Sessions (1999-2003)[78]

Agencies	Afghans			Foreigners	Total 2003	1999-2002
	Adult Males	Adult Females	Boys & Girls
AMAA						47,000
ARCS/ICRC	13,790	89,745	92,974	0	196,509	198,316
AREA	45,611	61,359	194,537	15	301,522	342,585
ARI	199,687	28,527	49,088	0	277,302	784,243
ATC	3,165	0	57,181	0	60,346	13,674
DAFA	1,210	71	1,502	0	2,783	5,367
HALO Trust	26,052	15,075	93,415	0	134,542	286,268
HI	170,983	36,165	402,324	186	609,658	1,233,650
MCPA	2,470	4	9,295	0	11,769	27,102
OMAR	154,008	113,833	307,244	72	575,157	3,051,383
SC – US	2,773	1,232	46,484	0	50,489	328,325
Total	616,976	344,779	1,609,884	273	2,220,057	6,317,913

According to information in past editions of the Landmine Monitor Report, more than 8.44 million civilians attended mine risk education sessions from 1999 to 2003: 979,640 in 1999; 1,076,553 in 2000; 729,318 in 2001; 3,436,410 in 2002; and, 2,220,057 in 2003.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society worked with the financial and technical assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Its mobile male and female teams held MRE sessions in 14 provinces of central, north and northeast regions.^[79] ARCS collected data on accidents and oriented its MRE accordingly.^[80] ARCS teams also received 140 clearance requests from mine-affected communities in 2003. Following agreements signed with agencies involved in clearance and marking, 65 percent of the requests received a response from mine clearance agencies, “a rate three times higher than the previous year” according to the ICRC.^[81] One hundred percent of the clearance requests forwarded to DDG, 85 percent of the clearance requests forwarded to HALO Trust and 32 percent of the requests forwarded to the UN Area Mine Action Centers received a response.^[82] In Takhar Province, the ICRC said, “Thanks to [an efficient integrated approach] and a well-coordinated mine awareness operation in the province, the number of casualties reported in the period under review indicates a satisfactory downward trend in the number of mine/ERW [explosive remnant of war] casualties, taking into consideration the expected mine/ERW incidents in a post-conflict situation in a highly mine/ERW contaminated location, which shows a high flow of returnees.”^[83]

The Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan has been providing MRE in Herat, Badghis and Ghor provinces. In 2003, AREA provided MRE in the Herat region while its community-based mine clearance program was operating in the Nangarhar region.^[84]

The Ansar Relief Institute is an Iranian NGO. ARI was established in 1994 and works in collaboration with the UNHCR and the government of Iran to support the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Iran. ARI is based in Mashad, Iran and only operates on the border between Iran and Afghanistan where it has three field offices. ARI employed retired military experts to train its male and female trainers.^[85]

Handicap International has been conducting community-based mine risk education since 1996. The project operates in six south and western provinces: Ghazni, Zabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Farah and Herat. An external evaluation of the project took place in 2001.^[86] In 2003, HI employed 104 people, including 72 field staff. Sixty-one percent of the people attending MRE sessions were briefed by volunteers. HI also provided MRE to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Zare Dasht camp (Kandahar province), as well as to aid workers.^[87] In support of ICBL/ACBL, HI field staff collected 187,178 thumbprints between 1999 and 2003.^[88] The program collects information from villagers concerning mine victims, unexploded ordnance and previously unidentified minefields. Between 1999 and 2003, HI received 3,729 requests for clearance. As a result, HI deployed two EOD teams in April 2003 in Kandahar.^[89] As of 31 December 2003, 57 reports had been responded to and 720 UXO had been destroyed. The two EOD teams moved to Herat in February 2004.^[90]

The Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation started its MRE activities in 1990 in Afghan refugee camps of Pakistan. It moved to Afghanistan in 1991 and currently operates all over Afghanistan. OMAR employs about 100 MRE staff, including 20 females. In 1998, OMAR started training volunteers, but abandoned this approach in 2001. OMAR generally provides MRE through direct presentations.^[91] OMAR’s MRE tools include leaflets, posters and signboards.^[92]

Save the Children-USA began its Landmine Education Project in Kabul in early 1996. It provides training and builds the capacities of agencies that have educational programs in child-focused MRE. SC-US also works closely with communities and trains volunteers, teachers and health workers. Operations are undertaken in hospitals, clinics, mosques and Kuchi nomads settlements.^[93] An external evaluation of the project was conducted in 2000.^[94]

MRE has also been provided by clearance agencies in areas where they are working. MRE was conducted by volunteers from ATC demining teams, “in their free time, after finishing their demining work for the day.”^[95] Survey teams of MCPA provided MRE to farmers, herders and villagers in mine-contaminated communities where they work.^[96] HALO Trust worked with 4 MRE teams^[97] and provided MRE in central and northern provinces; its highest numbers were reached at the UNHCR Refugee Center in Puli Khumri.^[98]

Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan in cooperation with UNMACA and UNICEF developed materials for MRE operators. In 2003, AAR produced kits for community-based and school-based MRE.^[99]

BBC Afghan Education Project (BBC-AEP) has been broadcasting MRE messages since 1994, mainly as part of the “New Home, New Life” soap opera. Based on the radio soap opera it has also produced a Monthly Cartoon Journal, which includes mine risk education dialogues. The BBC (Persian and Pashto services) is one of the most popular radio programs in Afghanistan.^[100] The impact of the program is monitored every two months, but not specifically for MRE.^[101]

An evaluation report released in July 2002 indicates that “MRE agencies are omitting to measure the impact of their work among their target groups in a systematic and regular manner. There is therefore little indication whether their projects are having the desired impact or not and no relevant information to inform adaptations or new project design. There is not even information to guide MAPA and the donors as to whether MRE is a project worthy of new or increased funding.” The evaluation calls on META to “develop expertise and capacity to conduct impact assessments,” but indicates that there “will still be a need for external evaluators for MRE in Afghanistan.”^[102] As a result, META, with the assistance of INTERSOS and UNICEF, developed a system to enable KAP (knowledge, attitudes, practices) surveys to take place every four months.^[103] In 2003, META reports that it carried out training courses for 348 trainees of MRE agencies, 129 teachers/trainees from the Ministry of Education, 57 expatriates and 90 staff from eight NGOs. META also conducted 60 external monitoring missions of MRE field operations.^[104]

Mine Action Funding

According to UNMACA, financial contributions for the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan for 2003 totaled more than US$75.2 million. Of the total amount: 72 percent was allocated to mine action activities focused on responding to prioritized community needs; 22 percent supported mine and UXO clearance for major infrastructure projects, including road construction, power line repairs, and school and health clinic rehabilitation; and, nearly 6 percent was spent on Peace building funding for stockpile destruction and the Mine Action for Peace project, which is a reintegration project designed to train demobilized combatants in community-based demining, mine risk education, and permanent marking.^[105]

According to information collected by Landmine Monitor, from 1991 to 2003 approximately $341 million was invested in the humanitarian mine action program for Afghanistan. In June 2004, Afghanistan reported that the international community had provided more than $321 million over 14 years to conduct mine action activities in Afghanistan.^[106] The 2003 strategic plan for mine action in Afghanistan indicates that $500 million is required to clear the remaining 800 million square meters of contaminated areas and 500 million square meters of battle area over a ten-year period.^[107] The strategic plan is scheduled for reviewed in early 2005 utilizing the Landmine Impact Survey data to establish new priorities and revise the budget.^[108]

Mine Ban Treaty States Parties have emphasized the importance of finding ways for mine-affected states to contribute to mine action, given scarce domestic resources. The Afghan government’s non-financial support to mine action organizations is a good example. For instance, the government provides office space, storage facilities and quality assurance monitoring for HALO Trust.

The details of donor funding for 2003 and for the years 1991 to 2003 are given in the following tables:

Funding for Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (January-December 2003)[109]

Country	Amount ($US)	Modality	Theme
			Humanitarian	Reconstruction	Peace Building
Australia	1,364,300	UN	1,364,300
	81,427	Bilateral	81,427
Austria	656,000	UN	656,000
Canada	7,309,255	UN	7,309,255
	19,600	Bilateral			19,600
Denmark	846,000	UN	846,000
	1,781,656	Bilateral	1,781,656
EC	17,032,787	UN	12,645,587	3,480,000	907,200
Germany	2,975,759	UN	2,975,759
	617,308	Bilateral	617,308
Ireland	646,801	Bilateral	646,801
Italy	1,056,400	UN	1,056,400
Japan	3,782,772	UN	2,001,636		1,781,136
	1,652,469	Bilateral	1,652,469
Netherlands	600,000	UN	600,000
	868,561	Bilateral	868,561
Norway	747,271	Bilateral	747,271
Sweden	1,272,639	UN	1,272,639
	235,000	Bilateral	235,000
United Kindom	3,630,290	UN	3,630,290
	323,200	Bilateral	323,200
United States	15,170,914	UN	5,170,914	10,000,000
	4,900,000	Bilateral	4,900,000
Adopt a Team	1,260,000	UN	1,260,000
ANBP	1,524,467	UN			1,524,467
AAR Japan	88,368	Bilateral	88,368
Christian Aid	95,600	Bilateral	95,600
Roots of Peace	200,000	Bilateral	200,000
Contrack Int.	384,073	UN		384,073
Limak/Entes	2,942,042	Bilateral		2,942,042
Novib	1,149,316	Bilateral	1,149,316
Total	75,214,275		54,175,757	16,806,115	4,232,403

Funding for the Mine Action Program in Afghanistan 1991-2003 (US$)[110]

Country/Agency	1991-1995	1996-2000	2001	2002	2003
Beginning Balance		11,458,205	842,073
Australia	1,377,947	1,675,920		833,850	1,445,727
Austria	655,707	637,689	200,000		656,000
Belgium		273,224		222,634	0
Canada	1,634,973	10,553,217	253,164	5,020,824	7,328,855
Cyprus	10,000
EC	2,785,321	18,346,334	3,551,400	10,755,072	17,032,787
Denmark	1,502,823	3,232,859	631,756	2,342,590	2,627,656
Finland	1,638,304	2,235,342	446,122	883,935	0
France		169,779
Germany	374,232	10,961,041		6,347,347	3,593,067
Greece	16,365
Ireland				410,000	646,801
Italy		100,000		1,380,000	1,056,400
Japan	11,000,000	2,600,268		21,210,599	5,435,241
Korea	75,000
Luxembourg				300,000	0
Netherlands	2,497,674	9,581,730	1,000,000	1,000,000	1,468,561
New Zealand				10,750	0
Norway	4,904,965	6,885,437	555,000	995,516	747,271
Sweden	7,028,818	11,553,166	1,276,762	0	1,507,639
Switzerland	1,054,048	479,963
UK	6,409,268	9,413,406		4,241,100	3,953,490
USA	8,519,517	9,302,949	1,700,000	7,000,000	20,070,914
UNA-USA				920,000	0
Private Contribution				67,353	0
Roots of Peace				57,000	200,000
Landmine Action				4,776	0
AAR Japan				111,033	88,368
Medico International				160,812	0
Limak/Entes					2,942,042
NOVIB				616,275	1,149,316
ECHO				900,000	0
VVAF				215,980	0
Christian Aid				0	95,600
Contrack Int.				0	384,073
ANBP					1,524,467
Adopt a Minefield		141,263	172,500
Adopt a Team				0	1,260,000
Direct in kind Contribution	17,448,672	6,930,486	3,426,743
Total	68,933,634	116,532,278	14,055,520	66,007,446	75,214,275

Landmine Casualties

In 2003, UNMACA recorded 846 new casualties from landmines, UXO and cluster munitions, of which 184 people were killed and 662 injured; at least 80 were females.^[111] In comparison, the ICRC recorded 847 mine/UXO casualties for the same period, including at least 384 children; 772 were civilians.^[112] However, key actors in mine action estimate that there are currently about 100 mine/UXO casualties a month in Afghanistan. The collection of comprehensive landmine casualty data in Afghanistan remains problematic, due in part to communication constraints and the time needed to centralize all the information. The ICRC is the principal source of mine casualty data, providing the UN Mine Action Program with about 95 percent of its information on new casualties. Many mine casualties are still believed to die before reaching medical assistance, and are therefore not recorded in the statistics. The Landmine Impact Survey data on casualties from 2001-2003 shows that 654 (38 percent) of the 1,714 landmine casualties recorded died from their injuries.^[113]

Mine casualties continue in 2004. The ICRC recorded 423 new mine/UXO casualties to the end of June 2004, including 47 people killed and 376 injured.

It is not possible at this time to determine the exact number of landmine casualties or mine survivors in Afghanistan. The number of estimated new mine casualties has declined over time. In 2000, it was estimated that casualties could be as high as 150 to 300 a month, a decrease from the 300-360 a month in 1997 and the estimate of 600 to 720 a month in 1993.^[114] At the end of 1997 it was estimated that between 90,000 and 104,000 people had been killed or injured by landmines, based on an average rate of 14-16 casualties per day for the 18 years since major mine-laying started; about 30 percent of those casualties were killed.^[115] However, in 1999, the Comprehensive Disabled Afghans’ Program (CDAP), estimated that as many as 800,000 people, or 4 percent of Afghanistan’s population, were disabled, including some 210,000 landmine-disabled.^[116] The Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled has collected data on a total of 75,688 persons with disabilities, including 13,624 mine survivors (18 percent).^[117]

As stated previously, the ICRC is the main source of mine casualty data in Afghanistan. The ICRC began collecting casualty data in March 1998 from 36 ICRC-supported health facilities in Kabul and a few other major cities. In January 2002, the ICRC expanded the program initiating community-based data gathering in all mine-affected areas of Afghanistan, except the Kandahar region where Handicap International has been involved in community-based data collection since 1998. Mine casualty data collection is now provided by about 492 health facilities supported by several agencies and organizations, including the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Afghan Red Crescent Society, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ICRC Orthopedic Centers, Aide Medicale International, HealthNet, Ibn Sina, Mercy Committee International, Afghan Health and Development Services, Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, International Medical Corps, Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, Norwegian Project Office, Danish Afghan Committee, International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins Du Monde France, International Assistance Mission, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, and others.^[118]

As of June 2004, the ICRC database contained information on 8,212 mine/UXO casualties between 1998 and 2004: 423 in 2004; 847 in 2003; 1,460 in 2002; 1,622 in 2001; 1,442 in 2000; 1,403 in 1999; and 1,015 in 1998. The database also contains information on more than 1,928 casualties recorded between 1980 and 1997.^[119] Data collection is an on-going process and statistics are continually updated as new casualties, and those from previous periods, are identified.

Handicap International also collects casualty data through its Community-based Mine Risk Education program. In 2003, HI recorded 265 new mine/UXO casualties in the Kandahar region; an increase over the 174 casualties recorded in 2002.^[120]

An analysis of ICRC casualty data reveals that in 2003, activities at the time of the incident included tampering (21 percent), tending animals (12 percent), traveling by vehicle (12 percent), playing or recreation (ten percent), collecting wood, fuel or scrap metal (eight percent), farming (seven percent), traveling on foot (six percent), military activity (five percent), incidental passing (four percent), demining (two percent), other activities or unknown (13 percent). Since 1998, 44 percent of casualties occurred while people were engaged in their daily activities (tending animals, collecting wood or water, farming, fishing/hunting or traveling on foot); 12 percent occurred while playing or engaged in other recreational activities.

In 2003, children under 18 years of age accounted for 384 new casualties (45 percent). Of the total 847 new casualties, 82 (ten percent) were female and 772 (91 percent) were civilians. Since 1998, children under 18 years of age accounted for 3,701 new casualties (45 percent). Of the total 8,212 casualties, 646 (eight percent) were female and 6,603 (80 percent) were civilians.

In 2003, antipersonnel mines were responsible for 272 new casualties (32 percent), antivehicle mines 113 (13 percent), UXO 284 (34 percent), cluster munitions ten (one percent), fuzes 49 (six percent), booby-traps 22 (three percent), and the cause of 97 casualties (eleven percent) is specified as other or unknown. Since 1998, antipersonnel mines were responsible for 3,712 casualties (45 percent), antivehicle mines 440 (six percent), UXO 2,691 (33 percent), cluster munitions 269 (three percent), fuzes 253 (three percent), booby-traps 107 (one percent), and the cause of 740 casualties (nine percent) is other or unknown.

In 2003, new mine/UXO casualties were reported in 32 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan. The highest number of casualties was recorded in the provinces of Kabul (14 percent), Nangarhar (12 percent), Parwan (11 percent), Kandahar (9 percent), and Herat (7 percent). Only about four percent of casualties reported having received MRE before the incident occurred, and less than four percent were aware that they were in a contaminated area. Of those injured in 2003, at least 177 required an amputation and at least 44 suffered injuries to one or both eyes.^[121]

As of July 2004, the UNMACA database contained information on 13,874 mine/UXO casualties since 1988. The information provides an indication of the trends in reported mine casualties but does not provide a precise representation of the true number of casualties over time.

Mine/UXO Casualties recorded by UNMACA – 1988 to 2004[122]

Year	Total	Killed	Injured	Male	Female	Unknown
1988-1997	5,644	1,670	3,974	5,366	276	2
1998	1,423	146	1,277	1,313	110
1999	1,539	32	1,507	1,435	104
2000	1,174	57	1,117	1,067	107
2001	1,661	136	1,525	1,513	148
2002	1,192	119	1,073	1,080	106	6
2003	846	184	662	720	80	46
2004*	395	62	333	356	28	11
Total	13,874	2,406	11,468	12,850	959	65

*Reported casualties to July 2004

In 2003, three mine clearance personnel were killed and another 17 injured during survey or clearance activities. Since the start of mine action in Afghanistan in 1989 through 2003, more than 658 mine clearance personnel have been killed or injured during survey or clearance activities. The majority of accidents occurred between 1989 and 1999 with 63 personnel killed and 509 injured. Among the demining agencies, Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) has experienced the highest number of accidents with 300 casualties reported, followed by DAFA with 118 casualties, MCPA with 74 casualties and OMAR with 66 casualties.^[123] In the first six months of 2004, another six deminers were killed or injured during clearance operations.

Soldiers and peacekeepers continued to be killed or injured by landmines and UXO in 2003, during mine clearance operations, on patrol, or otherwise. In January, a US and a Polish soldier were injured in a mine accident, and two more US soldiers were injured in February and April.^[124] In April, several Italian soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a mine in Khost Province.^[125] In May, one German peacekeeper was killed and another injured when their vehicle hit a mine.^[126] In July, three Dutch ISAF peacekeepers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine near Kabul.^[12]7 In October, two Canadian peacekeepers were killed and three others were injured when their vehicle hit an antivehicle mine in Kabul.^[128]

In May, the first death in Afghanistan’s nascent national army occurred when an Afghan soldier fresh from training stepped on a landmine while on patrol.^[129] There are also several other reports of Afghan soldiers fighting with coalition forces falling victim to landmines. In 2002, soldiers killed or injured in landmine incidents/accidents include one Australian soldier killed and another injured and one Canadian, two French, three New Zealand, four Polish, two Romanian, and one Turkish soldier injured. US military casualties include five soldiers killed and ten injured in landmine and UXO incidents. In March, three Danish and two German peacekeeping soldiers were killed and another eight injured while destroying missiles at a munitions dump in Kabul. In May, a Bosnian deminer lost a foot after stepping on an antipersonnel mine, and in August a Swiss deminer was injured in central Afghanistan. In December 2001, four US soldiers and one British soldier were injured in mine incidents.^[130]

US soldiers continue to be killed and injured in landmine incidents in 2004. In February, one soldier was killed and nine others injured when their vehicle hit an antivehicle mine in Ghazni province; and in a separate incident another soldier was injured after his vehicle hit a mine near Kunar.^[131] In March, three soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a mine near Ghazni; and in a separate incident, two soldiers were injured by a landmine at Bagram airfield.^[132] In May, three soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a mine in Kandahar.^[133] In June, four US soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a mine in Zabul province.^[134]

Survivor Assistance

Decades of conflict has severely impacted on healthcare in Afghanistan. The health infrastructure is damaged and poorly maintained, lacks trained staff, resources and supplies, and is unable to meet the basic health needs of the population.^[135] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 65 percent of Afghans do not have access to health facilities.^[136] Consequently, it is believed that many mine casualties die before reaching a medical facility due to the lack of emergency medical care or an adequate evacuation/transport system to a suitably equipped health facility; estimates were as high as 50 percent of casualties in 1999.^[137] In many mine-affected areas no regular ambulance service exists and the roads are in poor condition or non-existent; sometimes casualties are transported by donkey or pack mule.^[138] The WHO stated that one of the priorities in Afghanistan should be establishing and strengthening emergency health services with the appropriate geographic coverage, and that “the international aid and donor community have immense responsibilities to ensure that the health needs of Afghans are being addressed, and met accordingly.”^[139] In 2003, the Ministry of Public Health worked to develop administrative structures, and human and financial resources, to rebuild the health system; however, gaps still exist in the facilities needed to provide adequate surgical care for mine casualties.^[140] In June 2003, the World Bank announced a US$59.6 million grant to improve access to healthcare in rural areas and to build the capacity of the Ministry of Public Health and of Afghan healthcare workers.^[141]

The rehabilitation and reintegration needs of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities are also not being met. For every one person with a disability that receives assistance through existing programs, 100 more reportedly do not receive assistance.^[142] In 2002, only 60 out of 330 districts had rehabilitation or socio-economic reintegration facilities for the disabled and even in those districts the needs were only partially met.^[143]

The on-going Retrofit Landmine Impact Survey found that for 1,714 “recent” mine/UXO casualties (654 killed and 1,060 injured) identified in 1,927 impacted communities as of 27 September 2004 only 825 reported receiving some form of emergency medical care (48 percent). Of the 1,060 survivors, 725 received some form of emergency medical care (68 percent), 160 received rehabilitation (15 percent), only 27 reported receiving vocational training (less than three percent) since the incident, and the care received by 61 survivors is unknown (6 percent); 40 survivors received no care (4 percent). The percentage of survivors receiving emergency medical care in the districts surveyed to date rose from 57 percent in 2001 to 71 percent in 2003.^[144]

National and international NGOs and agencies continue to play an important role in the delivery of assistance to landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities in Afghanistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled.

In 2002, Afghanistan reported 17 national, nine regional, 34 provincial and 41 district hospitals, along with a network of 365 basic healthcare centers and 357 health posts. However, about 50 percent of available hospital beds are in the capital, Kabul, while 20 percent of districts reportedly have no healthcare facilities.^[145] Emergency and continuing medical care is provided through the Afghan hospital network and international NGOs and agencies.

Hospitals in the Afghan healthcare network assisting mine casualties/survivors include the Indira Ghandi Child Health Institute, the Paraplegic Hospital and the Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences. The Indira Ghandi Child Health Institute in Kabul, one of the main hospitals for the treatment of children under 15 years-of-age, is partially supported by the Indian Government. In 2003, eight mine survivors, seven boys and one girl, were treated in the orthopedic/surgery ward; in 2002, 23 mine survivors received treatment.^[146] While the hospital has experienced doctors, it lacks resources, equipment and medical supplies. The hospital’s greatest need is reportedly food. Children admitted to the hospital often suffer from poor nutrition and are too weak to respond well to treatment.^[147]

The Paraplegic Hospital in Kabul city assisted 35 mine survivors in 2003; 14 were hospitalized for further for treatment. The Paraplegic Hospital also assesses the degree of disability of patients who are then referred to Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled for assistance and employment support; more than 3,500 people have been assessed.^[148]

The 600-bed Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences, the only public hospital for emergency trauma cases in Kabul, accepts all emergency cases including military personnel and civilians. On average, ten new mine casualties are admitted each month; three were admitted the day before Landmine Monitor visited the hospital. The hospital employs 300 doctors and 400 nurses but this number is reportedly insufficient to meet the needs of patients. The physical infrastructure of the hospital is run-down and in need of renovation. It lacks equipment and has only limited supplies to treat emergency cases.^[149]

Since 1999, the Italian NGO Emergency has operated a general hospital providing emergency surgery, internal medicine and pediatrics in Anabah-Panshir Valley, a surgical hospital in Kabul since April 2001, and 24 first aid/public health centers, providing emergency medical care, surgery, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, social reintegration programs and transportation to the hospitals. The 110-bed surgical hospital in Kabul provides the only intensive care unit for civilians in Afghanistan. The hospital is well-equipped and staffed by experienced doctors, nurses and physiotherapists; more than 90 percent of the staff are nationals.^[150] In 2003, Emergency assisted 263,526 people, including 264 landmine and 132 UXO casualties, and provided 14 wheelchairs, 874 crutches, and six walking sticks. A new surgical center is under construction in Helmand region.^[151] In 2002, Emergency assisted 3,246 surgical patients (396 mine casualties), and in 2001, only 1,348 surgical patients (120 mine casualties) after the conflict caused the suspension of activities in Kabul from 17 May to the beginning of November 2001. Emergency’s activities are funded through private donors, local public institutions, fundraising campaigns and Italian local authorities.^[152] For the first time in 2003, the Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) provided funding to Emergency in Afghanistan following a donation from Hungary.^[153]

Under a special arrangement, the International Security Assistance in Afghanistan hospital in Kabul accepts up to ten or twelve of the most seriously injured mine casualties a month. While the hospital is housed in military tents, facilities are of a very high standard and well-equipped to handle trauma cases.^[154]

The ICRC has supported hospitals, clinics and first aid posts in Afghanistan since 1987 providing medicines, medical and surgical supplies, training, and repair and renovation of facilities. Support is also provided to the ambulance services in Kabul. Since 1999, more than 25 hospitals and clinics, and sixteen first aid posts received regular support, including eleven hospitals in 2003. Since 2001, ICRC-supported hospitals surgically treated more than 2,000 mine/UXO casualties, including 411 in 2003, and 779 in 2002.^[155] In addition, the ICRC has been providing surgical training in emergency techniques to Afghan surgeons for about ten years.^[156]

Since 1980, Médecins sans Frontières provided essential medical aid to hundreds of thousands of Afghans, including mine casualties. MSF’s program supported emergency interventions, surgical care, general healthcare, and safe blood transfusions in several hospitals and health clinics in 13 provinces throughout Afghanistan with a team of 80 expatriate staff and over 1,400 Afghan staff. However, MSF announced the closure of its programs in Afghanistan on 28 July 2004 because of security concerns after the killing of five of its international staff in June. MSF will hand over it programs to the Ministry of Public Health and other organizations.^[157]

The International Medical Corps (IMC) provides medical care and psychosocial support in 24 health clinics in the central region, three in the western region, and eight in the eastern region (plus three clinics supported by the WHO). In 2002, IMC assisted 379,039 people, including 145 landmine survivors.^[158]

The UNOPS/Comprehensive Disabled Afghans Program (CDAP) serves as the national coordinating body for rehabilitation services provided by NGOs, and has operated a community-based rehabilitation program for persons with disabilities in Afghanistan since 1991, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled and other relevant ministries. CDAP’s main area of work includes orthopedic services, physiotherapy, employment support, home-based therapy, and special and primary education, in 46 districts of 14 provinces: Kabul, Badakhshan, Balkh, Farah, Ghazni, Herat, Jawzjzn, Kandahar, Kundoz, Logar, Nangarhar, Samangan, Takhar, and Wardak. In early 2003, CDAP expanded its program in four districts of northern Kabul province and is jointly implementing a vocational training and micro-credit program. CDAP’s vocational training program includes classes in 40 different skills and apprenticeships. The micro-credit program provides loans of up to a maximum of $300 which are repaid over a period of seven to eight years; more than 5,000 people have benefited.

CDAP works with the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, ICRC, Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal and Handicap International. The ICRC provides CDAP with orthopedic materials and HI cooperates in training and capacity building. In 2003, CDAP assisted 24,350 persons with disabilities, including 3,226 mine/UXO survivors. CDAP distributed 472 prostheses and fitted 397, and 52 wheelchairs and 592 crutches; 325 landmine survivors benefited. CDAP employs 445 technical and managerial staff. The annual budget is US$4.5 million and the main donors are UNDP, USAID, Japan, Germany, France and Sweden; previously funding also came from Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.^[159] Due to a budget shortfall in 2000, CDAP closed its community rehabilitation program in 18 districts.^[160] Other measures undertaken by CDAP include development of a better coordination mechanism of services, development of a national strategy on disability, unification of prosthetic and orthotic technology, development of a national curriculum for physiotherapy, development of a national dictionary of about 2,000 songs for persons with impaired hearing and establishment of a Physiotherapy School in Kabul.^[161]

The ICRC is the principal service provider to mine survivors in Afghanistan and reports treating 65,000 patients (with all types of disabilities) since beginning its activities in 1987 at its orthopedic centers in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif (since 1991), Herat (since 1993), Jalalabad (since 1995), Gulbahar (since 1999) and Faizabad (since 2001). The centers fit upper and lower limb prostheses and orthoses, provide free medical care, physical rehabilitation, psychosocial support, vocational training, micro-credits for small business, and public awareness services related to government rules and programs. All services are free-of-charge. The ICRC’s orthopedic centers employ six expatriates and 450 Afghans, including 50 women; about 85 percent have a disability. The orthopedic centers produce prostheses, orthoses, crutches and wheelchairs while other orthopedic components are produced in the Kabul center. Components are provided free-of-charge to other CDAP-supported centers in Ghazni and Taloqan, the Guardians center in Kandahar, and the International Assistance Mission center in Maimana. In 2003, the ICRC assisted 25,000 people, including 6,000 mine survivors. Since 1999, the ICRC centers fitted 21,562 prostheses (15,960 for mine survivors), produced 33,531 orthoses, 36,538 pairs of crutches, and 3,997 wheelchairs, and provided 408,247 physical therapy treatments, including 3,887 prostheses (2,838 for mine survivors), 8,036 orthoses (31 for mine survivors), 4,837 pairs of crutches, 782 wheelchairs, and 105,881 physical therapy treatments in 2003. The ICRC also provides on-going training for orthopedic technicians and physiotherapists. In 2003, the ICRC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and NGOs, initiated a six-month training course in prosthetics and orthotics.^[162]

The ICRC’s Social Reintegration program assisted 1,701 people with a disability in 2003 with vocational training, special education, job placement, and micro-credits for small businesses.^[163] Vocational training is available for 15-30 year-olds in around 20 different skills including training as prosthetic technicians to work in the orthopedic centers, tailoring, sewing, embroidery, bicycle repair, and floristry. Since the program started in 1997 to January 2004, 772 children were sent to public school; 636 people received vocational training; 842 gained employment through the job placement center; and 2,393 accessed micro-credits. Under the micro-credits program beneficiaries are offered a $350 interest-free-loan to start up their own business. The loan is repayable in 18 monthly installments.^[164]

Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal (SGAA) operates orthopedic and physiotherapy services, disability awareness and health education in Kabul and Jalalabad. The orthopedic workshops produce prostheses, prosthetic feet, orthoses, wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility aids. The orthopedic centers reportedly have long waiting lists for services. In 2003, SGAA assisted 5,333 people, including 473 landmine survivors. Services are free-of-charge for persons with disabilities. In August and September 2003, SGAA opened two new physiotherapy centers, one in Kunar province and the other in Laghman province. SGAA plans to expand its orthopedic program to Nuristan and Kunar provinces. In 2002, SGAA started a two-year physiotherapy course in Jalalabad. The first group of 19 students graduated in January 2004. In 2003, SGAA started a 6-month upgrade course for orthopedic technicians; the diplomas are recognized by the Ministry of Public Health. Four technicians also started an 18-month practical training program in orthopedic technology. Up to September 2003, SGAA’s major donors were the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the European Commission. Since then SGAA reports that it has not been able to secure other long-term donors and may have to reduce services in 2005.^[165]

Since 1998, the Kabul Orthopedic Center (KOC) in Kabul has provided physical rehabilitation and orthopedic devices for mine survivors and other persons with disabilities. In September 2002, Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal partially resumed its financial assistance to the KOC, having withdrawn it during the Taliban period. In 2003, the KOC operated as a joint project between the government, SGAA, and the NGO Ashram International. The KOC works closely with the government’s Academy of Medical Sciences and provides assistance free-of-charge. Between October 2002 and September 2003, the KOC assisted 2,298 physiotherapy patients and produced 1,165 orthopedic devices.^[166] In calendar year 2002, the KOC assisted 5,320 people, produced 642 prostheses (510 for mine survivors), and distributed more than 3,000 assistive devices, including crutches, wheelchairs, and walking sticks.^[167]

Handicap International provides physical rehabilitation and prostheses through its orthopedic center in Kandahar and collects information on persons with disabilities in the Helmand, Zabul, Farah, Ghazni and Herat provinces through a network of community volunteers. Since June 2001, HI cooperates closely with the Afghan NGO Guardians in Kandahar. Guardians provide physiotherapy, prosthetics, and limited health services at its main rehabilitation center/orthopedic workshop in Kandahar and two health units in Quetta (Pakistan). HI is responsible for the production of orthoses, wheelchairs and walking aids, while Guardians produces and fits prostheses. In 2003, the Kandahar center assisted 2,060 people (72 landmine survivors), and produced 162 prostheses, and distributed 2,823 crutches, 171 wheelchairs and 679 other assistive devices.^[168] In 2002, the center assisted 1,243 people (128 landmine survivors), and produced 1,164 prostheses and 349 orthoses, and distributed 2,518 walking aids and 84 wheelchairs.^[169] HI commenced its program to support mine survivors and other persons with disabilities in Herat and the province of Badghis in January 2002. The program focuses on upgrading physiotherapy centers, through training, materials and technical support to physiotherapy services. HI is cooperating closely with CDAP and the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled.^[170]

The International Assistance Mission (IAM) operates physiotherapy and ophthalmic rehabilitation and psychosocial support programs. IAM works with the cooperation of the Intermediate Medical Institute and the Ministry of Public Health. It operates the Noor Eye hospital in Kabul and eye clinics in Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif and provides financial and technical support to the Physiotherapy School of Kabul and the Blind School of Kabul.^[171]

The Technical Orthopedic Center (TOC), founded almost 30 years ago, resumed providing orthotic and prosthetic assistance in March 2003 after having been closed for five years. TOC is supported by the Ministry of Public Health and employs 55 personnel. In 2003, TOC assisted 640 people, including 450 landmine survivors; 28 percent of survivors were children and four percent were women.^[172]

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan (PARSA) provides physiotherapy services, through its two clinics in Kabul. PARSA also distributes wheelchairs, and walking aids, and refers amputees to the ICRC or Kabul Orthopedic Center. In 2003, the physiotherapy center assisted 3,156 people; in 2002, 3,600 assisted, including about 500 mine survivors.^[173]

Since August 2002, Association for Aid and Relief (AAR)/Japan provides physiotherapy services through its clinics in Kalafgan and Khawjaghar districts of Takhar province. In 2003, AAR assisted 3,072 people in the clinics, including some mine survivors. In addition to clinical services, AAR conducts outreach services on a regular basis in order to expand the service to remote areas; 792 people were assisted in this program. In 2002, AAR provided physiotherapy assistance for 327 people, including 22 landmine survivors, and distributed 37 prostheses.^[174]

In January 2002, an Indian orthopedic team arrived in Kabul with 1,000 prostheses for Afghan amputees, which were fitted free of charge. The Indian government funded the project, with the prostheses provided by the BMVSS charity from Jaipur.^[175]

In 2003, the NGO Help Handicapped International started a program in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health to fit Jaipur Foot prostheses for Afghan amputee mine survivors in Kabul. The program consists of an annual 21-day camp to fit prostheses; 402 mine survivors were fitted in 2003. The next camp is planned for September/October 2004.^[176]

Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation (AABRAR) focuses on the physical rehabilitation and socio-economic integration of people with a disability through physiotherapy, recreational rehabilitation, vocational training, and psychosocial support at its centers in Jalalabad (since 1992) and Kabul (since 2002). In addition to providing physiotherapy services, health education, mine risk education, and literacy training to more than 3,000 people a year, AABRAR’S main activities include a bicycle training program for about 600 disabled men and boys each year to teach them how to ride and repair bicycles. Graduates receive a bicycle at the end of their training which can be used for transport or as a mobile shop. In Kabul in 2003, the Disabled Cycle Messenger Service started with 15 graduates from the bicycle training program and three support staff. All the messengers are amputees and are mostly landmine survivors. For disabled women and girls, AABRAR offers six-month vocational training programs for 80 to 100 people each year in carpet weaving, embroidery, ball making and tailoring. Graduates receive a sewing machine and raw materials at the end of the program as a means to generate income. AABRAR reports that 80 percent of graduates from the two programs gain employment or are earning an income. In Kabul, there is a three-year waiting list for training and in Jalalabad there is a two-year wait. In 2003, AABRAR assisted 4,466 people (about 80 percent are mine/UXO survivors), distributed 300 crutches and 600 bicycles, and employed 99 people, including 60 with a disability.^[177]

AABRAR also encourages social participation through sport and organizes events including an annual bicycle race on the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December. AABRAR supported the establishment of the Afghan Paralympic Foundation in February 2004. Two athletes from Afghanistan competed in the Paralympics in Athens in September. One, a cyclist with the disabled messenger service in Kabul, is a double below-knee amputee and mine survivor. The other is a 14-year-old girl who competed in the running, marking the first time that an Afghan woman with a disability has competed in the games.^[178]

Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises/Enabling and Mobilizing Afghans with Disabilities (SERVE/EMAD) provides training in mobility/living skills, early intervention programs, school reintegration programs, psychological counseling, and vocational training for the sight and hearing impaired, and physically disabled in Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Laghman, Nangarhar and Konar provinces. SERVE/EMAD also provides mobile basic eye services and special education services to visually impaired children, along with preventive education to the rural population, and operates a school for the hearing impaired, and community-based rehabilitation. EMAD works with other relevant organizations including IAM and CDAP. In 2003, SERVE/EMAD assisted 1,350 people with a disability. In 2002, the program assisted 517 people; about 40 percent were mine/UXO survivors.^[179]

Support Service for Disabled (SSD) is providing literacy and vocational training, professional counseling, and producing artificial limbs in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Wardak, Baghlan, Ghazni, Balkh and Kabul. In 2003, SSD assisted 24 landmine survivors. SSD plans to extend its activities to all other provinces.^[180]

The US government’s Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) has pledged $2.8 million to CDAP for the period April 2003 to April 2006 to assist mine survivors and other war-injured.^[181] In 2002, the LWVF provided $1 million to support the socio-economic reintegration of mine survivors and others persons with disabilities as well as funds for training Afghan orthopedic technicians.^[182]

Two mine survivors from Afghanistan took part in the Raising the Voices training in Geneva in May 2003. In January 2004, one of the participants established the Afghan Disabled Union to advocate on behalf of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities. The Union has 180 members. Future plans include a vocational training program; however, the organization lacks funding support to implement activities.^[183]

Based on discussions with service providers during a visit to Kabul from 21-31 March 2004, the Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance Research Coordinator concluded that some of the key challenges to providing adequate and appropriate assistance for mine survivors and other persons with disabilities in Afghanistan include: facilitating access to services for people living in remote areas; improving and upgrading facilities for healthcare and rehabilitation; capacity building of local healthcare workers; ensuring quality of services and sustainability in the relevant government ministries; creating more opportunities for vocational training and income generation; raising awareness on the rights and needs of persons with disabilities; and ensuring that sufficient funding is available to meet the needs.

Disability Policy and Practice

The Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled is the focal point for all issues relating to persons with disabilities, including mine survivor assistance. The MoMD has collected data on a total of 75,688 persons with disabilities, including 13,624 mine survivors (18 percent), from all provinces of Afghanistan to facilitate access to monthly pensions. However, the MoMD has not established a comprehensive database with detailed information on the individual needs of the people identified. The MoMD also organizes vocational training courses.^[184]

In 1999, legislation was approved stipulating that persons with disabilities would be granted free medical care, a monthly pension and employment opportunities commensurate with their abilities and degree of disability.^[185] The social security benefit of 300 Afghanis a month (about US$6) for persons with disabilities is reportedly insufficient to maintain a basic standard of living; and the bureaucratic procedure of applying for the payment prevents many disabled people from receiving the benefit.^[186]

The Transitional Islamic Government of Afghanistan approved the establishment of the National Disability Commission (NDC) in 2002, with representatives from the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Finance; however, the NDC must be approved by the Cabinet before it is officially recognized. The Commission was tasked with drafting a new comprehensive law on the rights of persons with disabilities in Afghanistan.^[187]

In October 2003, a collaborative initiative between government ministries, indigenous and international NGOs, UN agencies, and associations for the disabled created the “Comprehensive National Disability Policy.” The implementation of the policy is to be coordinated by the proposed National Disability Commission, and in close cooperation with the NGO sector.^[188] Handicap International acts as an adviser to the relevant ministries to assist in the development of a long term strategy for assistance to persons with disabilities that includes adequate geographic coverage and representation of all stakeholders. A needs assessment of persons with disabilities is planned.^[189]

Under the new 2004 Afghanistan Constitution, the State will take “necessary measures for regulating medical services and financial support to...disabled or handicapped, and their active participation and re-integration into society in accordance with the law.” The Constitution also “guarantees the rights and privileges of pensioners and disabled and handicapped.....”^[190]

The government aims to mainstream disability through the integration of persons with disabilities into schools, vocational training, and employment, and to fight discrimination through media campaigns and national legislation.^[191]

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[1] When the Taliban controlled nearly all of the country, Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations was still occupied by the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, known as the Islamic State of Afghanistan or Northern Alliance, which was ousted by the Taliban in September 1996. Both the Taliban and the ousted government made statements in support of the mine ban. For more details see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 433-434.
[2] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2004, citing Ch. I, Article 7, of the Constitution of Afghanistan.
[3] The UN-recognized Rabbani government voted for the pro-ban UNGA resolution in 1996, then was absent from the annual votes from 1997-2001.
[4] Article 7 Report, Form E, 1 September 2003.
[5] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 434-435.
[6] Information provided to Landmine Monitor and ICBL by HALO Trust and DDG, July 2002.
[7] “Police seize large cache of arms in southwestern Pakistan,” Agence France-Presse, 15 August 2003; “Pakistan troops in Balochistan seize weapons smuggled from Afghanistan,” The News, Islamabad, 16 September 2003; “Seizures of Anti Tank Mines & Unexploded Ordnance in South Waziristan,” The Daily News (Pakistan), 3 October 2003.
[8] Statement by Dr. M. Haider Reza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 24 June 2004.
[9] “Afghan Police Defuse Two Mines Planted Near Blue Mosque,” Associated Press (Kabul), 27 September 2003.
[10] “Afghan police, Brits arrest two people, find bomb in Kabul,” Associated Press (Kabul), 22 April 2004.
[11] Radio Afghanistan News, Good Morning Afghanistan, 28 January 2004.
[12] “Violence claims nine more lives in Afghanistan,” Reuters (Kandahar), 11 January 2004.
[13] Interview with Helaludin Hilal, Deputy Minister of Interior, broadcast on Kabul News Service, Radio Azadi, 21 March 2004.
[14] Statement by Dr. M. Haider Reza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 24 June 2004.
[15] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 497-500.
[16] Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 24 June 2004.
[17] The following types of antipersonnel mines were destroyed: P4Mk2 (1,028 mines), PMN (456), MON50 (919), PMD6 (16), POMZ2 (2,529), MON200 (101), PP-MI-SR (306), M2 (1), MON100 (2), OZM72 (106), PMN2 (10), P2 (8), Type 69 (36), PFM 1/S (144), YM1 (6), M16A2 (14), TM57 (217), and M19 (12). Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April 2004.
[18] “Anti Personnel Mines Stockpile Destruction Pilot Project Completion Report,” submitted to the Mine Action Consultative Group on 28 February 2004. The document cites 4,266 mines, but the individual totals add to 4,222.
[19] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 April 2004.
[20] Statement by Gen. Karimi, Ministry of Defense, to Asia-Pacific Landmine Monitor Researchers’ Conference, Kabul, 27 March 2004.
[21] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2004.
[22] Afghanistan Transitional Authority (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan), “Draft Strategic Plan for the National Destruction of Anti-Personnel Landmines,” March 2004.
[23] Press Conference by B. Hilferty, Coalition Force Spokesman, Kabul, 14 January 2004.
[24] Ibid, 13 March 2004.
[25] “Romanian soldiers confiscate illegal weapons and ammunition,” Rompres (Bucharest), 5 April 2004.
[26] “Large weapons, munitions cache seized near Afghan capital,” Radio Afghanistan, 23 May 2004
[27] Article 7 Report, Form D, 1 September 2003.
[28] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 April 2004.
[29] Statement by Dr. M. Haider Reza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2004.
[30] Mines found include: NR-127 and NR 409 from Belgium; Type 69 and Type 72 from China; PP-MI-SR, PP-MI-SR-II, and PT-MI-K from Ex-Czechoslovak; YM-I form Iran; SB-33, SH-55, TC-2.4, TC-3.6, TS-50, VS-50 and Valmara 69 from Italy; MD-2 and P2-Mark 3 from Pakistan; G-Vata-6, MON-100, MON-200, MON-50, MON-90, MS3, OMZ-3, OMZ-4, OMZ-72, OMZ-UUK-AP, PDM-2, PFM-1, PFM-15, PGMDM, PMD-6, PMD-6M, PMN, PMN-2, PMP, POMZ, POMZ-2, POMZ-2M, TC-6-AT, TM-41, TM-46, TM-57, TM-62, TM-62M, TMB-44AT, TMDB, TMK-2, and TMN-46 from ex-USSR; VS-MK2 from Singapore, Mark-2 and Mark-7 from United Kingdom; M2 from USA; PMA-IA and TMA-5 from ex-Yugoslavia; and RAP-2 from Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 436; and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 459. Also Article 7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2004.
[31] UNMACA, “National Operational Work Plan for 2004/05,” 1 April 2004.
[32] Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[33] Human Rights Watch, “Fatally Flawed: Cluster Bombs and Their Use by the United States in Afghanistan,” December 2002, p. 1.
[34] UNMACA, “National Operational Work Plan for 2004/05,” 1 April 2004.
[35] Ibid; Email from Mike Kendellan, Director for Survey, Survey Action Center, 28 September 2004; Email from Patrick Fruchet, External Relations Officer, UNMACA, 30 September 2004.
[36] “Retrofit Landmine Impact Survey of Afghanistan (RLISA),” data from database at MACA as of 27 September 2004, provided by Mike Kendellen, Survey Action Center.
[37] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Eng. Zabihullah, Operations Manager, MCPA, 18 January 2004.
[38] MCPA, “A Pioneer in the field of Humanitarian Mine Action,” leaflet distributed at Landmine Monitor Researchers’ Meeting, Kabul, 27 March 2004.
[39] Email from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 19 August 2004; see also Landmine Monitor reports for 2001, 2002 and 2003.
[40] Response to LM Questionnaire by Dr. Farid Homayoun, Country Director, HALO, 18 January 2004.
[41] Email from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 19 August 2004; see also Landmine Monitor reports for 2001, 2002 and 2003.
[42] See Landmine Monitor reports for 2001, 2002 and 2003. 1999 data is from email from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 19 August 2004.
[43] UNMACA, “National Operational Work Plan for 2004/05,” 1 April 2004.
[44] Email from Mike Kendellan, Survey Action Center, 28 September 2004.
[45] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2004.
[46] Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[47] Stuart Maslen, Mine Action After Diana, (London: Pluto Press, 2004), p. 96.
[48] Ibid, p. 95.
[49] MAPA, “Strategic Plan 2003-2012,” (no date). See also, UNMAS, “The strategic plan for mine action in Afghanistan and related socio-economic benefits,” ReliefWeb, 28 February 2003.
[50] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2004; “MAPA 2003 Annual Report” (Draft as of June 2004).
[51] Arne Strand, “The ‘Mine Action for Peace’ Programme Afghanistan – Workshop Report, Kabul, 29 April 2004,” PRIO, Bergen, Norway, May 2004.
[52] Information from UNMACA database, provided in email from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 30 September 2004. In June 2004, Afghanistan reported that since MAPA began operations, nearly 300 million square meters of minefields and 522 million square meters of battle areas had been cleared, with over 250,00 landmines and 3.3 million items of UXO destroyed. Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[53] Email from Patrick Fruchet, External Relations Officer, UNMACA, 30 September 2004. In June 2004, an Afghan official gave these totals for 2003: 22.9 million square meters of minefield and 33.8 million square meters of battle area. Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[54] Email from Patrick Fruchet, External Relations Officer, UNMACA, 30 September 2004.
[55] UNMACA, “National Operational Work Plan 2004/05,” 1 April 2004.
[56] Ibid.
[57] See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 55.
[58] UNMACA, “National Operational Work Plan 2004/05,” 1 April 2004.
[59] For more details see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp. 588 – 591.
[60] Information from UNMACA database, accessed March 2004. Devices destroyed by Ronco are not included in the number of devices destroyed.
[61] Figures from Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 459-461; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 507-509; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp. 598-601; and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 55. Note that totals may not add correctly due to rounding.
[62] Unless noted, ATC information is all from: Response to LM Questionnaire by Farid Elmi, Deputy Director, ATC, 18 January 2004.
[63] ATC points out that the vast majority of the injuries were minor, and that the casualty total reflects 15 years of operations, with an average of 1,000 deminers working in the field. Moreover, most accidents occurred prior to the launching of a safety initiative in 1996. There were 33 incidents in 1996 and only two in 2000. Email from Kefayatullah Eblagh, Director ATC, 27 August 2004.
[64] Unless noted, AREA information is all from: Response to LM Questionnaire by Ahmad Zafar Mujadedi, AREA, 25 January 2004; AREA “Brief Information Regarding AREA,” leaflet distributed at the Asia Pacific Researchers’ Meeting, Kabul, 27 March 2004.
[65] Unless noted, DDG information is all from: Email from Roger Fasth, DDG, Copenhagen, 30 August 2004; Response to LM Questionnaire by Hayat Khogiani, Program Manager, DDG, 19 January 2004; DDG website, www.danishdemininggroup.dk/danishdemining/public_html/english/afghanistan.htm
[66] Unless noted, DAFA information is all from: Response to LM Questionnaire by Ismail Farahi, DAFA, 23 February 2004; Email by Bilal Ahmad Kakar, DAFA, 23 February 2004.
[67] Unless noted, HALO information is all from: The HALO Trust, “Central Asia – Afghanistan,” on HALO website, http://www.halotrust.org/afghanistan.html accessed on 9 July 2004; Email from Matthew Hovell, Caucasus and Balkans Desk Officer, HALO Trust, 3 September 2004.
[68] Questionnaire completed by MDC Operation Officer, February 2004.
[69] Unless noted, OMAR information is all from: Response to LM Questionnaire by Zekria Payab, Deputy Director, OMAR, 19 January 2004; Information from Fazel Karim Fazel, Managing Director, OMAR, 29 January 2004.
[70] Email from Tim Carstairs, Director for Policy, Mines Advisory Group, 6 October 2004.
[71] Email from John Wallace, International Partnerships Manager, MAG, 20 August 2004.
[72] Unless noted, MCPA information is all from: MCPA “A Pioneer in the field of Humanitarian Mine Action,” leaflet; Response to LM Questionnaire by MCPA, February 2004.
[73] “META at a Glance,” leaflet distributed at Asia Pacific Researchers’ Meeting, Kabul, 27 March 2004.
[74] Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[75] See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.58.
[76] MAPA, “Briefing,” August 2002.
[77] MAPA, “MAPA 2003 Annual Report,” Draft as of June 2004.
[78] Information from MRE agencies. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.462; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.510; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.602; Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.59.
[79] Afghan Red Crescent Society, “Activity Report on Mine Risk Education for 2003,” received February 2004.
[80] ICRC, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, June 2003, p. 135.
[81] Ibid.
[82] ICRC, “ICRC Afghanistan Mine Action Program Annual Report (January-December 2003),” January 2004, p. 6.
[83] Ibid, p. 7.
[84] Questionnaire response by AREA, 25 January 2004.
[85] ARI, “Ansar Relief Institute Mine Awareness Activity Report,” on http://www.aims.org.af (accessed on 15 July 2004); email from Javad Nejadbagher, Managing Director, ARI, 16 July 2002.
[86] A report of the evaluation is available on www.handicapinternational.be/minepolicy .
[87] Email from Sebastian Fouquet, Program Director, HI, 8 June 2004.
[88] Response to LM Questionnaire provided by Mohammad Rafiq, HI Afghanistan, 27 January 2004.
[89] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 60.
[90] Handicap International, “Community-based Mine Awareness, Landmine and UXO Safety Briefings Program for aid workers, and UXO Clearance in Afghanistan: Interim report 1 October 2003-31 December 2003,” Kabul, 2004, p. 6.
[91] Chris Horwood, “M&E Paper, UNICEF Capacity Strengthening: Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation capacities in MRE in Afghanistan. Initial mission,” Kabul, June 2002, p. 2.
[92] Questionnaire response by OMAR, 19 January 2004; OMAR information received 29 January 2004.
[93] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 59.
[94] Chris Horwood, “M&E Paper,” June 2002, p. 3.
[95] Afghan Technical Consultants, “An Introduction to Afghan Technical Consultants: The Premier Humanitarian Mine/UXO clearance NGO in Afghanistan,” Kabul, March 2004, p. 16.
[96] Information provided by Eng. Zabiullah, MCPA, 18 January 2004.
[97] HALO Trust, “HALO Portfolio of Humanitarian Mine Clearance & Small Arms Light Weapons Destruction Projects 2004,” Dumfries, November 2003, p. 9.
[98] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 59.
[99] Email from Seiji Konno, Coordinator, AAR, 23 January 2004.
[100] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 60; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 602.
[101] Chris Horwood, “M&E Paper,” June 2002, p. 2.
[102] Ibid, pp. 6, 8, 10.
[103] Interview with Susan Helseth, MRE Coordinator, UNICEF, Kabul, 30 March 2004.
[104] Questionnaire response by META, 27 January 2004.
[105] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2004; “MAPA 2003 Annual Report” (Draft as of June 2004).
[106] Statement by Afghanistan, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[107] “MAPA Strategic Plan for 2003.”
[108] Email from Mike Kendellan, Survey Action Center, 28 September 2004.
[109] Email from Takuto Kubo, UNMACA, 9 April 2004; additional information from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 21 June 2004.
[110] Figures for 1991-2001 are from Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 54, as provided by MAPA and UNMACA. Figures for 2002 are from MAPA, “Annual Report 2002.” Figures for 2003 are from email from Takuto Kubo, UNMACA, 9 April 2004; information from Patrick Fruchet, UNMACA, 21 June 2004.
[111] UNMACA Database as at July 2004.
[112] Unless otherwise noted, all 2003 and 2004 casualty data is from: ICRC Afghanistan Mine Action Program (MAP), “Semi-Annual Report (January-June 2004),” Kabul, August 2004.
[113] Email from Mike Kendellen, Survey Action Center, 27 September 2004.
[114] William A. Byrd and Bjorn Gildstad, “The Socio-Economic Impact of Mine Action in Afghanistan: A Cost Benefit Analysis,” Working Paper, World Bank/UNDP “Afghanistan Watching Brief” Project, 10 December 2001.
[115] MCPA, “Socio-Economic Impact Study of Mine Action Operations Afghanistan,” Interim Report by MCPA to United Nations, MAPA, October 1998.
[116] CDAP, “CDAP in Brief,” 24 November 1999. Also, Peter Coleridge, CDAP manager, quoted in Tahir Ikram, “UN steps up appeals to help Afghan mine survivors,” Reuters (Islamabad), 28 April 2000.
[117] Information provided by Noor Ahmad Nazari, Head of Planning Department, Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled, 16 February 2004.
[118] ICRC Afghanistan MAP, “Annual Report (January-December 2003),” 21 January 2004; ICRC Afghanistan MAP, “ICRC Mine Data Collection Program Annual Report January-December 2001,” Kabul, February 2002.
[119] ICRC Afghanistan MAP, “Annual Report (January-December 2003),” 21 January 2004.
[120] Response to LM Questionnaire by HI, 27 January 2004.
[121] ICRC Afghanistan Mine Action Program, “Annual Report (January-December 2003),” 21 January 2004. In 2003, new casualties were reported in the provinces of Kabul, Badakhstan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghur, Helmand, Herat, Jawzjan, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nooristan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parwan, Samangan, Saripul, Takhar, Wardak, and Zabul. A new casualty was recorded in Day Kundy for the first time in 2004. No casualties have ever been recorded in Panjshir.
[122] UNMACA Database as at July 2004. ICRC historical data differs from information in the UNMACA database, but this is likely due to timing differences in updating data.
[123] MACA, Management Information System, database of mine incidents/casualties of demining personnel from 1990 to 2003. The ICRC reports 21 demining casualties in 2003. ICRC Afghanistan Mine Action Program, “Semi-Annual Report (January-June 2004).”
[124] “American Soldier Loses Foot in Mine Explosion,” American Forces Press Service, 10 January 2003; “GI Loses Foot in Afghan Land-Mine Blast,” Fox News, 19 February 2003; and “U.S. troops kill one, detain seven in Afghan raid,” Reuters, 22 April 2003.
[125] “Several injured as Italian military vehicle hits mine in Afghan southeast,” Islamic Republic of Iran External Service, 26 April 2003.
[126] “Blast Kills Peacekeeper,” Washington Post, 30 May 2003.
[12] “Dutch peacekeepers injured in Kabul landmine explosion,” Xinhua, 5 July 2003.7
[128] “Anti-tank mine killed Canadians, Afghan commander arrested,” CBC News Online, 7 October 2003.
[129] “New Afghan army suffers first casualty,” Reuters, 17 May 2003.
[130] For details see Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 62.
[131] “US soldier injured in east Afghanistan,” Xinhua, 18 February 2004; Radio Liberty Praha, Kabul, 13 February 2004; “GI Killed By Mine In Afghanistan,” Associated Press, 14 February 2004.
[132] Stephen Graham, “Three U.S. Troops Wounded in Afghanistan,” AP (Afghanistan), 8 March 2004; “US troops kill three, arrest 13 Taliban after firefight in Afghanistan,” Agence France-Presse (Afghanistan), 15 March 2004.
[133] “Three Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan When Vehicle Hits Land Mine,” in The Military: Casualty Report, available at www.diversityinbusiness.com (accessed 3 August 2004)
[134] Caryle Murphy, “Navy SEAL Dies in Afghanistan; Virginia Beach-Based Veteran Among 4 Killed in Blast,” Washington Post, 1 June 2004.
[135] ICRC Special Report, “Mine Action 2003,” August 2004, pp. 29-30.
[136] WHO, Health Update: Afghanistan, 5 April 2002.
[137] MAPA Response to Landmine Monitor, 19 July 2000.
[138] Statement by Theo Verhoeff, Director of Physical Rehabilitation Programs, ICRC, to Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 January 2002.
[139] WHO, “Reconstruction of the Afghanistan Health Sector: A Preliminary Assessment of Needs and Opportunities December 2001 – January 2002,” Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, 2002, Document WHO-EM/EHA/003/E/G/01.02, pp. 14 and 8-9.
[140] ICRC Special Report, “Mine Action 2003,” August 2004, p. 30.
[141] World Bank, “World Bank helps Afghanistan meet urgent health needs,” Press Release, 5 June 2003.
[142] Statement by Rahul Chandran, Director, CDAP, to Asia-Pacific Landmine Monitor Researchers’ Meeting, Kabul, 27 March 2004.
[143] WHO, “Reconstruction of the Afghanistan Health Sector,” 2002, p. 4.
[144] Email from Mike Kendellen, Director for Survey, Survey Action Center, 27 September 2004. “Recent” casualties refer to incidents during the 24 month period prior to each community’s impact survey, i.e., variously from November 2001 to September 2004. The term “some form of emergency medical care” does not imply that there was an equipped health facility in close proximity to the mine incident. Casualty data from the Retrofit Landmine Impact Survey for all landmine impacted communities continues to be updated as survey data is entered into IMSMA. The survey will be completed by December 2004.
[145] WHO, “Reconstruction of the Afghanistan Health Sector,” 2002, pp. 2-4.
[146] Information provided by the Indira Ghandi Child Health Institute’s Statistics Office, Kabul, 9 February 2004; and interview with the Head of the Indira Ghandi Child Health Institute and the Statistics Office, Kabul, 24 March 2003.
[147] Interview with Dr. Zobaida, Deputy Director, Indira Ghandi Child Health Institute, Kabul, 23 March 2004.
[148] Response to LM Questionnaire by Paraplegic Hospital, Kabul, 11 February 2004.
[149] Interview with Dr. Atiq Shamin, Head Doctor, Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences, and observations of Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance Research Coordinator, Kabul, 25 March 2004.
[150] Interview with Dr. Mauro Dalla Torro, Surgeon, Emergency, Kabul, 23 March 2004.
[151] Response to LM Questionnaire by Alessandro Greblo, Desk Officer Afghanistan, Emergency, Milan, 31 March 2004.
[152] Response to LM Questionnaire by Rossella Miccio, Desk Officer for Afghanistan, Emergency, 14 March 2003; email to LM (Italy) from Giorgio Raineri, Emergency, Milan, 16 May 2002; Response to LM Questionnaire, 24 April 2002.
[153] International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance, “Annual Report 2003,” p. 53
[154] Interview with Dr. Abdul Baseer, Executive Director, Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation, Kabul, 30 March 2004.
[155] ICRC Special Reports, “Mine Action 2003,” August 2004, p. 30; “Mine Action 2002,” July 2003, p. 28; “Mine Action 2001,” July 2002, p. 23; “Mine Action 2000,” July 2001, p. 20; and “Mine Action 1999,” August 2000, p. 25.
[156] Statement by Theo Verhoeff, ICRC, to Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 January 2002.
[157] “MSF pulls out of Afghanistan,” MSF, Kabul, 28 July 2004.
[158] Information provided by database section, International Medical Corps, 22 April 2003.
[159] Response to LM Questionnaire by Mohammad Gholam, Team Coordinator, CDAP, 25 January 2004; interview with Dr. Ghani Amin, Deputy Director, CDAP, Kabul, 23 March 2004.
[160] Email from Hayatullah Wahdat, ICRC, 3 July 2001.
[161] Interview with Dr. Farooq Wardak, Program Manager, CDAP, Peshawar, Pakistan, 1 May 2001.
[162] Response to LM Questionnaire by Dr. Alberto Cairo, Head of Orthopedic Program, ICRC, 26 January 2004; ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programs, “Annual Report 2003,” 9 March 2004, pp. 10-11, 26; “Annual Report 2002,” 2 June 2003, p. 10; “Annual Report 2001,” 14 April 2002; “Annual Report 2000,” 31 March 2001; “Annual Report 1999,” 31 March 2000; Information Sheet, “The ICRC Orthopedic Project in Afghanistan,” provided to Landmine Monitor on 28 March 2004.
[163] ICRC, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, June 2004, p. 136.
[164] Information provided by Dr. Alberto Cairo, ICRC, 20 September 2004; ICRC Information Sheet provided to Landmine Monitor on 28 March 2004.
[165] Response to LM Questionnaire by Fiona Gall, Project Consultant, SGAA, 15 February 2004; “SGAA Activities in 2003,” www.sandygallsafghanistanappeal.org (accessed 9 August 2004).
[166] Ibid.
[167] Interview with Gulmakai Siawush, Manager, Kabul Orthopedic Center (KOC), Kabul, 2003; interview with Sameuddin Saber, Field Director, Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal, Kabul, 2003.
[168] Email from Sebastian Fouquet, Program Director, HI Afghanistan, 10 August 2004.
[169] Response to LM Questionnaire by Martin Lagneau, Program Director, HI Afghanistan, 2003.
[170] Response to LM Questionnaire by HI, 27 January 2004; Response to LM Questionnaire by Richard K. Pinder, Country Director, HI Afghanistan, 2003.
[171] Response to LM Questionnaire by J. Thoren, Program Manager, Training and Capacity Building, International Assistance Mission, 2003.
[172] Response to LM Questionnaire, 26 January 2004; interview with Dr. Mehboobi, Director, Technical Orthopedic Center, Kabul, 2003.
[173] “PARSA in Kabul,” Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan, Newsletter, Number 26, Spring 2004, p. 5; interview with Ms. Palwasha, Finance Manager, PARSA, Kabul, 30 March 2003.
[174] Information provided by Koji Miyazaki, AAR Project Coordinator, 23 January 2004; Response to LM Questionnaire by AAR, 2003.
[175] Ian McWilliam, “Jaipur foot for Afghan amputees,” BBC, 4 January 2002.
[176] Response to LM Questionnaire by Mahendra Gafurchand Mehta, Trustee, Help Handicapped International, Mumbai, 20 August 2004.
[177] Response to LM Questionnaire by Dr. Abdul Baseer, Executive Director, AABRAR, Kabul, 28 January 2004; “Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine Survivors: The Experience of Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation (AABRAR),” presentation by Dr. Abdul Baseer to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 23 June 2004.
[178] Presentation by Dr. Abdul Baseer, AABRAR, to Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 23 June 2004.
[179] Response to LM Questionnaire by Alfred Borchert, Project Advisor, SERVE/EMAD, 27 January 2004; interview with Abdul Basir Miakhail, Manager, SERVE/EMAD, Kabul, 21 April 2003.
[180] Response to LM Questionnaire by Support Service for Disabled (SSD), 22 January 2004.
[181] USAID, “Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund: 2004 Portfolio Synopsis,” p. 29.
[182] USAID, “Rebuilding Afghanistan: Our current efforts in a war-torn country,” 11 April 2002.
[183] Email from Omara Khan, Director, Afghan Disabled Union, 8 July 2004.
[184] Information provided by Noor Ahmad Nazari, Head of Planning Department, Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled, 16 February 2004.
[185] Interview with Dr. Mahmood Shah Darwaish, Head of Paraplegic Hospital and member of National Disabled Committee (NDC), Kabul, 2 February 2003; interview with Noor Ahmad Nazary, President of Planning, Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled.
[186] Interviews with Jean-Francois Trani, Adviser to the National Disability Commission, Handicap International, and Dr. Abdul Baseer, AABRAR, Kabul, 30 March 2004.
[187] Interview with Dr. Mahmood Shah Darwaish, Paraplegic Hospital/National Disabled Committee, Kabul, 2 February 2003; interview with Noor Ahmad Nazary, Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled.
[188] “The Comprehensive National Disability Policy in Afghanistan,” submitted to the Minister of Martyrs and Disabled, Kabul, October 2003. The full text of the policy is available at www.disabilityafghanistan.org/finalpolicy.htm (accessed 1 April 2004)
[189] Interview with Jean-Francois Trani, Adviser to the National Disability Commission, Handicap International, Kabul, 30 March 2004.
[190] Article Fifty-Three Ch. 2. Art. 31, Constitution of Afghanistan, Year 1382 (2004).
[191] Presentation by Dr. M Haider Reza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 23 June 2004.