American Demining Teams Arriving in BiH

The US State Department announced that expert teams for mine clearance and ordnance disposal, the so-called Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, will arrive in BiH and Serbia, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

These teams will work with local demining teams (MAC) in Serbia and BiH to search for mines that have shifted from marked minefields due to floods. It is estimated that 120,000 unexploded mines remained from the war between 1992 and 1995, according to the State Department's statement, Patria reports. The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina estimates that mines or UXO have shifted over an area of 320 square kilometers due to floods.

Local authorities have begun mapping minefields in most affected areas and informing their communities about the immediate danger posed by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

As stated in the State Department's announcement, on May 21, an anti-personnel mine exploded underwater near Brčko, but fortunately, it did not cause damage or casualties.

In Serbia, preliminary reports from MAC indicate that there have been problems with the movement and exposure of numerous anti-personnel mines and explosive devices.

In both BiH and Serbia, demining units will carry out activities under unknown circumstances - assessing large areas, demining risks due to landslides, and conducting underwater demining.

Incidentally, the US has been sending these teams since 2008 to Congo, Cyprus, Uruguay, Vietnam, and other countries where assistance was needed with demining and the removal of unexploded ordnance. Also, since 1993, the United States has invested more than $2.3 billion in over 90 countries worldwide to reduce the harmful effects of explosive remnants of conventional weapons in post-conflict environments, including over $96.7 million in BiH and $15.7 million in Serbia.