Supporting Iraqi Women in Mine Action

Noor is a qualified Iraqi woman working in the Iraqi mine action sector. She joined an explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) team nine years ago with an international mine action NGO. Since then, she has been developing her skills to Read More …

Employing Military Working Dogs in Large-Scale Combat Operations

Canines have been useful to military organizations since their domestication. Few, if any, instruments of war have the successful track record and longevity of MWDs. They remain effective in a variety of environments, including dense vegetation, subterranean complexes, and trench Read More …

Bringing Drone Technology to Iraqi Police

“In 2021, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Salman Pak Training Center received 20 drones from UNMAS Iraq. These drones were distributed to relevant departments across the Iraqi governorates in order to ensure the best use of Read More …

UK: Residents evacuated after ‘highly explosive grenade’ found in Bedworth

A ‘highly explosive’ hand grenade found in Bedworth over the weekend has been ‘destroyed.’ It was discovered on Mavor Drive on Sunday (August 25). Experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team carried out a ‘controlled explosion’ of the device, Read More …

UK: RNAS Culdrose helicopter scrambled after grenade found on Isles of Scilly

A helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was called in to action on Tuesday, August 27, after the discovery of a possible Second World War grenade on the Isles of Scilly. Police and coastguards were called at around 7.15pm on Tuesday evening Read More …

Canada backs project to train public in mine safety and empower women sappers in Ukraine

Thanks to the support from the Government of Canada, the Association of Sappers of Ukraine (ASU) has launched a project to provide mine safety training to the general population. In Ukraine, particularly in the de-occupied regions, explosive objects still pose Read More …

UK: Controlled explosion after ‘historic device’ found in Bedworth

A controlled explosion has taken place in a Warwickshire town after the discovery of what police described as a “historic device”. Police were called to Mavor Drive in Bedworth at around 13:30 BST on Sunday after several objects were found, Read More …

Russian bomb squad finds, destroys two Ukrainian air bombs in Kursk Region

A bomb squad from the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry destroyed two Ukrainian air bombs in the Kursk Region, said Artyom Sharov, a ministry spokesman. “Bomb squad technicians from the Emergency Situations Ministry defused and destroyed two demolition bombs, a FAB-500 Read More …

GICHD Insights: Towards The Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

The Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) will open in Siem Reap-Angkor, Cambodia, on 25 November 2024. To contribute to preparations for this event, the GICHD is launching a series of issue briefs on selected thematic Read More …

Japan: City of Naha evacuating 1,400 people to remove World War II bomb

Okinawa’s capital city of Naha is planning to evacuate 1,400 people while Japanese troops disarm and remove a suspected United States bomb from World War II next month. According to Naha’s website, the 551-pound ordnance was discovered at the construction Read More …

Somalia’s bomb disposal experts face down fear to save lives

Wearing a bulky protective suit and helmet, Mohamed Ahmed inches towards the truck where explosives wired to a mobile phone have been planted in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Fortunately for Ahmed, a police officer, this is a training exercise and the Read More …

Colorado: World War II-era bomb found by construction workers in Arapahoe County

Officials in Arapahoe County, Colorado, were called to investigate a piece of history that was found by a group of on-site construction workers. While on the scene, Aurora Police requested Arapahoe Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad to determine a metal device Read More …

Czech Republic: Litvínov refinery shut down after WWII-era unexploded bomb found on site

Production in Unipetrol’s Litvínov refinery in North Bohemia was shut down after an unexploded World War II-era bomb was discovered during excavation work in a remote section of the complex on Wednesday. The refinery is expected to resume operations once Read More …

Sri Lanka: Japan to extend its support to humanitarian demining activities in Northern Province

Ambassador of Japan – Mr. Mizukoshi Hideaki, today (Aug. 22) signed the grant contracts of two demining projects under the scheme of “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP)”, with Major Gen. (retd) Mr. Sumathi Ranjan Balasuriya, Director & Read More …

Japan: Implementation of training program on the operation of large demining machines for the staff of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine

As part of its assistance in mine action, which is an urgent issue in Ukraine, Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), conducted training programs from late July to August to staff members of the State Emergency Service of Read More …

Cambodia discovers 2 war-left U.S. aerial bombs in southern province

Cambodia has found another two war-left U.S.-made MK-82 aerial bombs in southern Kandal province, a mine clearance chief said on Wednesday. Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) Director-General Heng Ratana said the two aerial bombs were spotted in a pit in Read More …

Women take the lead as handlers in UNDP’s Technical Survey Dogs project for demining in Ukraine

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is proud to announce the launch of an innovative project in Ukraine that is set to transform demining operations and create critical methodologies for mine action. This initiative features the deployment of sixteen Technical Read More …

Azerbaijan: Female demining team clears 3,203,997 square meters of land

Since September 25 of last year, women’s mine clearance teams have been operational, and by August 15 of this year, a total of 3,203,997 square meters of land have been cleared, Azernews reports, citing Hafiz Safikhanov, Chairman of the “Azerbaijan Read More …

Why is Switzerland offering cash prizes to retrieve munitions from lakes?

The Swiss Federal Department of Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) is offering 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800) for the three best ideas on how to retrieve some 12,000 tonnes of old munitions from the country’s lakes, including Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Read More …

“The Largest Landmine Field” and its Youngest Victims: Harrowing Tales of Suffering in Yemen

Seventeen-year-old Yemeni Muhanad Mubarak Al-Aqili lost his life after a stray shrapnel from a landmine explosion settled in his abdomen. Muhanad was returning home from school in Harib district when the incident occurred last year. In January 2024 alone, 17 Read More …