KABUL, January 27, 2015 (UNMAS): The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) strongly condemns today’s attack in Helmand province on a demining team of Demining Agency For Afghanistan (DAFA), an Afghan demining NGO and implementing partner of the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan.
Unknown militants shot dead three deminers hired from the local community and one Site Operations Officer. One DAFA Community Section Leader is missing. There is no known motive for the unprovoked killing of these humanitarian workers.
The incident took place at approximately 10:35 am in Abbazhai village of Nahr‐e Seraj district, Helmand Province. The DAFA demining teams were conducting their normal mine clearance activities when a group of unknown armed men arrived and attacked them.
Landets største provins
Helmand is the largest province in Afghanistan by area, and the third‐largest by population. Provincial records show that, in 2015 landmines, unexploded ordnance and PPIEDs have claimed at least 23 civilian casualties.
The province is heavily affected by mines and unexploded ordnance. A total of 109 known minefields cover an area of 68 sq km. Another six high explosive training ranges cover 338.7 sq km.
All humanitarian demining in Afghanistan is coordinated by the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination, (DMAC) which is supported by UNMACA, a project of UNMAS.
10.500 afghanere arbejder med mine- og ammunitionsrydning
The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan, of which DAFA is a valued member comprises over 43 organizations and employs 10,500 Afghans.
Humanitarian demining partners such as DAFA provide skilled jobs to Afghans, remove hazards from the Afghan soil that would otherwise pose a danger to civilian lives, and free up land for productive use and development.
UNMAS condemns this breach of the understanding that deminers are neutral, humanitarian workers providing a service to communities in Afghanistan.
The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan will not be deterred from this important work by such attacks, which violate the most basic principles of humanity.
