Funds assist Afghan mine clean-up

The funds will be used to help clear landmines in Afghanistan

A Scottish landmine charity is to get more than �10m to help clear the devices from parts of Afghanistan.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the grant would be given over the next five years to the Dumfriesshire-based Halo Trust.

The charity will now be able to work to return land in Herat province to productive use.

Mr Alexander said he was sure that the funding could make a real difference to the area.

"Afghanistan has historically suffered from decades of conflict and is one of the most heavily-mined countries in the world," he said.

Thanks to the Halo Trust and others we have halved the number of mine victims in just the last five years in Afghanistan Douglas Alexander International development secretary

Mr Alexander said Nato commanders had informed him of the Taliban paying children a dollar a time to dig up landmines.

These, in turn, were being used to build incendiary devices used against British troops.

"It also stops Afghan farmers going about their daily work," he added

Mr Alexander said one person a day was either killed or injured by mines in Afghanistan, and the work of clearing them was an "extraordinarily painstaking and difficult" process.

"�10.6m is a very significant investment which we believe will continue the real progress we've seen," he said.

"Thanks to the Halo Trust and others we have halved the number of mine victims in just the last five years in Afghanistan.

"This major new announcement I'm making today will, I believe, be a significant contribution to continuing that progress."

New project

The Halo Trust is based at Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway.

Director Guy Willoughby said the funding would help clear parts of Afghanistan the charity has not done much work in before.

"Out in the west is an area which has had very little work done over the last 20 years," he said.

"The Halo Trust has mainly been based in the north of the country and around Kabul.

"So this is a relatively new project for us."

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