No more heroes? Scots charity destroys 800 000 land mines in Afghanistan and is praised by Tory minister, ‘Bomber Patel’

From thirdforcenews on 1^st March:

‘Scots charity clears up the deadly legacy of war’

The Halo Trust has cleared up 800 000 mines in Afghanistan saving untold lives and helping communities farm their land again. As well as mapping the location of minefields, and learning to safely remove them, the team are educating locals in how to avoid them and report them for removal if they spot them.

Funded by the UK and other governments the trust has cleared over 114,657 hectares, working continuously despite the different regimes in power in the areas they work. I don’t know about you but they deserve more recognition than people like David Cameron’s PA or his wife’s hairdresser.

A UK minister met the workers to praise their work. That it was ‘International Development Secretary’, Priti Patel, who previously voted to bomb Libya in 2010 and Syria only last December reveals her lack of a sense of irony. Britain last used mines in Iraq in 1991, was a major manufacturer of them until the 1980s and they can still be found in Afghanistan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12816279

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34987921

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1997/landmines/36075.stm

http://www.afghan-network.net/Landmines/

http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/images/uploads/articles/319583/32784956820_54804f8be3_k__wide.jpg