Army losing more men to landmines than war

[bhramos]

The Indian Army is losing more personnel during peace times, and more so, while clearing landmines than in any war.

Since October 2002, when the Army began large scale mine clearing operations along the Pakistan border, it has reported 793 causalities of which 411 were killed. An international landmine expert believes that these mind boggling casualties were more due to the defence ministry's stubbornness from taking any expert help while excavating mines.

Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, Asia regional research coordinator for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, told a select audience here that despite their persistence, the Indian Army was not following standard operating procedures (SOPs) and international practices while forcing soldiers to clear mines.

He said casualties in the Indian Army were comparably more than in any war-torn country like Angola, Mozambique, Bosnia or Croatia. He said over the past few years, more cases of soldiers falling in the trap of landmines were reported from India.

"We have gathered cases of 365 soldiers falling victims to landmine,mostly while clearing mines. This amply means that they were not following SOPs or best international practices," said Puangsuwan, who has supervised mine clearing operations in Cambodia and other countries.

Army losing more men to landmines than war - India - DNA

 

[Ray]

defence ministry's stubbornness from taking any expert help while excavating mines.

Give me a break.

defence ministry's stubbornness from taking any expert help while excavating mines.!

India can teach others.

I wonder if they know how many mines are there on the LC and how many have been resuscitated!

And how many cleared!

Once again, western arrogance!

Real Charlies!

 

[ice berg]

Give me a break.



India can teach others.

I wonder if they know how many mines are there on the LC and how many have been resuscitated!

And how many cleared!

Once again, western arrogance!

Real Charlies!

Easy to say when you are not the one clearing the mines.
The only arrogance here is forcing them to clear miners without following the SOPs.
Blaming the west? ha.

 

[Ray]

Sad to upset your apple cart.

I have cleared enough to say what I have said!

If only people like you knew how mines are laid and cleared.

Mines are not laid as if they are confetti!

They are laid as per a minefield plan with drawing and measurement and fenced.

Clearance is done with that minefield plan.

Where casualties can occur is the M16 which are known as Jumping Mines!

Got that, Charlie Chakrabhoot?

 

[p2prada]

Easy to say when you are not the one clearing the mines.
The only arrogance here is forcing them to clear miners without following the SOPs.
Blaming the west? ha.

You are quoting a guy who charged through a minefield with a platoon while injured during Kargil war.

None of those western suck ups compare.

He's performed all types of mine clearing duties. Ones where the the Army follows procedures that are similar to western procedures and also ones where the western armies wouldn't even dare to think it let alone do it.

 

[lemontree]

The picture with the article is of a man in a pathani suit. That is not the picture of an Indian soldier, probably Pakistani. Besides from where did the reporter even get cas figures.

 

[ice berg]

Sad to upset your apple cart.

I have cleared enough to say what I have said!

If only people like you knew how mines are laid and cleared.

Mines are not laid as if they are confetti!

They are laid as per a minefield plan with drawing and measurement and fenced.

Clearance is done with that minefield plan.

Where casualties can occur is the M16 which are known as Jumping Mines!

Got that, Charlie Chakrabhoot?

I dont care one way or another how mines are laid.

It is about how to remove them without causing unacceptable casualities. Got that?

 

[ice berg]

You are quoting a guy who charged through a minefield with a platoon while injured during Kargil war.

None of those western suck ups compare.

He's performed all types of mine clearing duties. Ones where the the Army follows procedures that are similar to western procedures and also ones where the western armies wouldn't even dare to think it let alone do it.

Well, good that he is still alive today. Those 411 people aint so lucky. I am not sure how comforting there is for the victims families to know our dear brigadiers merits. ( I am sure it will make a great story in another thread)

That is like saying they shouldnt complain because other have survived . How he managed his duties is entirely irrelevant to this.
From my point of view the numbers are high. That was my point. You are free to disagree.

 

[jackprince]

I dont care one way or another how mines are laid.

It is about how to remove them without causing unacceptable casualities. Got that?

And why do you think that an army which have already fought three full-fledged wars and countless mini-wars constantly for last 60 yrs, doesn't know how to remove mines?

 

[ice berg]

If you are an expert, is 793 causalities of which 411 were killed a show of competence? If so, I rest my case.

 

[Bhadra]

If you are an expert, is 793 causalities of which 411 were killed a show of competence? If so, I rest my case.

My Dear,

De-mining in peace time and dealing with mines under operational conditions under fire and other hezards are as different from each other as the hell and heaven. De mining in peace is tedious, time consuming and very expensive operation. During Operation Parakrama Indian Army laid mines by millions and then de-mined those areas with least casualties so that it could be cultivated.

Your PLA will pale in front of such experiences. You have only mined foreign soils (Korea and Nam)

 

[ice berg]

My Dear,

De-mining in peace time and dealing with mines under operational conditions under fire and other hezards are as different from each other as the hell and heaven. De mining in peace is tedious, time consuming and very expensive operation. During Operation Parakrama Indian Army laid mines by millions and then de-mined those areas with least casualties so that it could be cultivated.

Your PLA will pale in front of such experiences. You have only mined foreign soils (Korea and Nam)

A simple yes or no will do. No need to OT like that.

It is not my PLA and they certainly have mined other than Korea and Nam. Do a bit reading before you embarass yourself.

 

[shuvo@y2k10]

landmines defusing should be left to robots.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Where casualties can occur is the M16 which are known as Jumping Mines!

S-mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The German S-mine (Schrapnellmine , Springmine or Splittermine in German), also known as the "Bouncing Betty," is the best-known version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. When triggered, these mines launch into the air and then detonate at about 0.9 meters (2 ft 11 in). The explosion projects a lethal spray of steel balls and fragments in all directions. The S-mine was an anti-personnel landmine developed by Germany in the 1930s and used extensively by German forces during World War II.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

I dont care one way or another how mines are laid.

It is about how to remove them without causing unacceptable casualities. Got that?

The knowledge of how mines are emplaced is useful to their removal.

 

[Ray]

I dont care one way or another how mines are laid.

It is about how to remove them without causing unacceptable casualities. Got that?

You may not care and you are right not to care.

It will be too complicated for you to understand in any case.

 

[Ray]

Bhadra,

Don't bother to explain since the poor man would not understand the concept of shifting mines.

 

[p2prada]

Bhadra,

Don't bother to explain since the poor man would not understand the concept of shifting mines.

He believes laying mines is like throwing confetti and removing them is like digging for Gold. You can't teach such people.

 

[Ray]

Those who have not seen mines, let alone laying mines, will never understand the mechanics of laying mines and removing them manually or the effect of weather and shifting sands.

Further both laying and removing is laborious and time consuming and tiring. Concentration, at times, shifts. And you have the consequent casualties, even with protective gear.

 

[lemontree]

The media article has been written by a scribe without any official data to back his statement and the so called frigging expert is from "International Campaign to Ban Landmines". Ulterior motives at best.

Why the hell would the Indian Army or for that matter any army allow a bunch of NGOs to tell them how to mine/ de-mine?