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HALO West Bank – First Landmines Found and Safely Destroyed at a-Nabi Elyas

During the second week of clearance operations at a-Nabi Elyas minefield in the West Bank, HALO has already cleared two mines. One anti-personnel and one anti-tank mine were found by mechanical and manual mine clearance teams respectively and then safely destroyed by HALO’s Task Supervisor.

In the 49 years since the minefield was laid, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines have caused accidents to civilians from the neighbouring village of a-Nabi Elyas and blocked access to valuable agricultural land.

The minefield at a-Nabi Elyas was laid in 1965 by the Jordanian military using Belgian-made PRB M35 anti-personnel mines and British MkV anti-tank mines – an estimated 1,400 mines in total, of which many are known to remain in a functioning condition. Where mines have become deeply buried by soil movement, the plastic PRB M35 cannot be found with metal detectors. In such conditions, HALO uses armoured mechanical equipment to fully excavate contaminated soil and ensure that all deeply buried mines are found and destroyed.

With two weeks of clearance completed and two mines found at a-Nabi Elyas, HALO has made a great start to the project.