News – December 2023

December 31, 2023

The Danish government has contributed an additional $3.17 million to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq. The new contribution will help the Iraqi government protect civilians from the threat of explosive ordnance and support humanitarian, socioeconomic, and reconstruction efforts, according to a statement released by the UNMAS. The Danish government has given the ...

December 28, 2023

The U.S. Navy’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate, or IWTSD, has released a broad agency announcement seeking research proposals in areas of advanced development and explosive ordnance disposal and explosive operations. A notice posted Wednesday on SAM.gov states that the IWTSD aims to identify technologies and approaches to enhance the Department of Defense’s ability to conduct ...

December 28, 2023

LAYTON, Utah — Technicians from Hill Air Force Base’s 775th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight tested their emergency response skills while forging valuable bonds with local first responders during a recent off-base training exercise. Working with the Davis County Bomb Squad, the exercise simulated a worst-case scenario involving hostage situations and multiple explosive devices in an urban ...

December 26, 2023

On December 26, an anti-personnel mine exploded near the liberated village of Sarijali in Agdam district, injuring Mahmudov Zaur Mahmudov, born in 1982, an employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA). The victim was evacuated from the scene and taken to the district hospital. His condition is assessed as satisfactory. Read more… Source: AzerNews  

December 19, 2023

Ukraine’s and non-governmental operators’ bomb disposal units have inspected and brought back into use over 200,000 hectares of agricultural land since the beginning of the year. “Our bomb disposal experts from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, State Transport Special Service and non-governmental mine action operators are performing very well. We are inspecting 3,000 to 5,000 hectares of ...

December 19, 2023

The Walton Coastguard Rescue team and the explosive Ordnance Disposal team were sent to inspect part of Walton beach on Saturday. Upon arrival the crews discovered three unexploded ordnances which following an inspection were confirmed to be from the Second World War. The mortar rounds are understood to have washed up on the beach during low ...

December 19, 2023

The Royal Government of Japan, through the Embassy in Cambodia, has agreed to provide more than $1.3 million to Cambodia for the clearance of cluster munitions, landmines, and unexploded ordnance. The grant agreement under the Grant Scheme for this Japanese NGO project was signed on December 19, 2023, by Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia, ...

December 17, 2023

While there are approximately two years remaining to achieve this goal, officials from the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) said that 2023 has seen several major steps toward achieving the demining target and reaffirms their commitment to achieving the goal. Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the CMAA, tells The Post that the goals ...

December 16, 2023

In a landmark development for Ukraine’s recovery and safety, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands announce a new partnership, marked by acontribution of $10 million towards mine action in Ukraine. The initiative will focus on accelerating the clearance of landmines using state-of-the-art technology and bolstering Ukraine’s capacity to manage mine ...

December 16, 2023

A bomb squad team safely detonated a potentially deadly improvised explosive device that was found off a road in Placer County earlier this week, the sheriff’s office said. The device looked like a pressure cooker with wires coming from it, the sheriff’s office said. Patrol deputies found the device near a rural residence off Ravine Road ...

December 16, 2023

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers were spotted on Cramond beach as they detonated a historic object that was found in a residential area. Edinburgh police were called to the Craigmillar Park area at around 3.25pm on Friday 15 December. They say that a historical ordnance was found and as a result the EOD team attended to ...

December 14, 2023

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and APOPO Cambodia have signed a cooperation and partnership agreement on the integration of mine detecting rats and dogs. The agreement will be funded by grants of almost $400,000. A signing ceremony for the agreement was held on December 13, with CMAC director-general Heng Ratana and APOPO Cambodia programme manager ...

December 13, 2023

The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) revealed that in 2023, over 30 individuals experienced the impact of explosive ordnance, marking a 24 per cent decrease from the same period in 2022. CMAA spokesman Lang Kosal shared on December 11 that from January to early December, 31 people encountered the effects of landmines and ...

December 12, 2023

WASHINGTON – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians participated in a forum conducted by one of the nation’s premier engineering schools to learn better ways to confront and defeat cluster munitions during large-scale combat operations. Army EOD technicians attended the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering Cluster Munitions Forum in Washington, D.C. The forum addressed ...

December 12, 2023

EORE is one of the five pillars of mine action. Over the years, a wide range of approaches to EORE have been used in mine action programmes worldwide. Much less attention, however, has been given to how to approach EORE when dealing with residual contamination. Many questions arise, including whether there is a requirement to inform ...

December 11, 2023

Five members of the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad visited Marine Terminal 1 on the Port Angeles waterfront last week. They weren’t there to detonate an improvised explosive device, identify a biochemical threat or investigate a suspicious package, but to make a presentation to members of the Port of Port Angeles security staff about the response ...

December 11, 2023

An anti-tank mine exploded while a farmer was ploughing in Battambang province on Friday. The blast caused severe injuries to him and destroyed his tractor. The victim, Phon Phet, 28, was clearing the land for a cassava plantation when the mine exploded. His tractor was completely destroyed in the explosion that happened at 9.20am at Kanh ...

December 6, 2023

Azerbaijan is one of the countries, whose territories are heavily contaminated with landmines and explosives left from war, Head of UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Azerbaijan Kanako Mabuchi said during the International Baku Forum on “Healthy environment and mine-free life to achieve sustainable development goals”, Trend reports. She pointed out that many women and children fell ...

December 5, 2023

Slovenia will provide €1.5 million to Ukraine for humanitarian demining. The agreement was signed by Andrii Taran, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Slovenia, and Tanja Fajon, Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. Following the agreement’s terms, the funds will be provided by the end of 2023 without the need for ...

December 5, 2023

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday that past internal conflict and “irresponsible” aerial bombardment had left heavy casualties in the Southeast Asian country, and all burdens have fallen on the current government. Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). An estimated 4 million to 6 ...

December 3, 2023

A couple who kept a live bomb as a garden ornament have said they were sorry that their “old friend” had been detonated by a disposal unit. The missile, which had been outside the home of Sian and Jeffrey Edwards, is thought to date back to the late 19th century. The couple, from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, ...