Dreams came true! Afghanistan banned cluster bombs!

Cluster bombs have killed and hurt thousands of civilians including children and women and ruined many livelihoods over the past decades in Afghanistan and tens of other countries around the world.

On 08 September 2011 Afghanistan ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) at UN HQ in New York. No more life will be taken away by the cluster bomb in Afghanistan, no body and no forces including NATO and ISAF will be allowed to use the cluster bombs in Afghanistan, because the CCM does not allow its states parties to do so.

Thanks to President Karzai!

I witnessed Afg delegation when signing the CCM in Oslo in 2008. Right to left: Suliaman, Susan, Soraj, Firoz, Thomas, Mehdi, Amb. Ludin, UN Rep and witness

Landmine was banned in Afghanistan as of April 2003, since then there is no evidence of usage of landmine in Afghanistan except by the illegal armed groups or insurgents.

I have to say that Afghanistan has a long way to get rid of the landmines, cluster bombs and other remnants of war that have been scattered all over Afghanistan over the past 30 years. According to demining organizations nearly 60% of these deadly weapons have been destroyed but 40% still need to be cleared which will take more than 10 years as of 2011. An average of 100 million dollars spent in clearing these weapons each year. Over 8000 civilians put their lives into risk to find and destroy the mine and cluster munitions and other remnants of war. 60000 landmines, cluster bomb and other remnants of war survivors have been recorded but it is estimated that there are many more, sadly this is the highest figure when comparing with other countries affected by these weapons throughout the world.

The place where I stepped on a landmine (Shaikhali district, Parwan province of Afghanistan) in 1996 is yet to be cleared of these deadly ammunitions.

Please join me for hoping and praying for a mine and cluster munitions free Afghanistan and mine and cluster munitions free world! The campaign (ICBL) that I have the privilege of working for is present in over 90 countries, ICBL has been working to ban landmines since 1992 and will continue until achieving its objective “mine free world”. ICBL was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its work against landmines.