'The Dogs of Peace'

(Article by Ed Pennington-Ridge)
 

The day begins with the incessant baying of the alarm clock on my mobile phone – it's 4.30 am! As my confusion recedes, and I remember exactly why I set the alarm for so brutally early my tiredness is replaced by a feeling of great anticipation – I am going to spend the day with MDC5 the Mine Dog clearance team that Adopt-A-Minefield has been supporting since 2003.  Mine dogs are extremely susceptible to the heat so the working day begins at 6 am. 

It has been a difficult few days for MDC.  Following a resurgence of direct targeting of de-miners by suspected Taliban insurgents 3 MDC operatives, a Driver, Team Leader, and Paramedic were killed on the 11th May 2005 when the vehicle they were travelling in was destroyed by an Anti Tank mine; seemingly command detonated (exploded by an individual just as the vehicle was passing over the mine) I am concerned about intruding into the lives of these men at a time like this, unsure how I will be received and amazed that they are willing to take the time to organise a donor presentation during the current crisis.  I should have realised that professionals of this calibre are able to take even the most dreadful tragedy in their stride. 

As we begin the briefing for the day's activities, an area in the distance is pointed out, a former soviet base and the reason why this area became contaminated with Anti Tank mines.  Mujahadein soldiers laid the minefield to stop the Soviet advance into Herat – some 9 KM away. 
 

The base is a peaceful scene now, but recently the site of tragedy as six de-miners were seriously injured  (a section leader loosing his right hand) as teams cleared BLU 978 cluster munitions dropped by the coalition forces during the regime change fighting post 9/11/2001. 

The Jebrail minefield is ideal for clearance by dogs.  A large, generally flat area, not too close to human habitation (as yet) and contaminated with anti tank mines, meaning that the risk to dogs and de-miners can be reduced to an acceptable level.  The team have already found two mines in the 6 days that they have been working, one anti tank and worryingly, one anti-personnel (AP).  The AP mine was a booby trap, designed to stop the removal of the AT mine, so even after careful survey of an area MDC can never be sure exactly what kind of threat they may face.

As we walk into the minefield, past MDC storage areas picked out in white stones, the rapidly expanding town of Jebrail in the distance confirms exactly why clearance of this area is a number one priority.  In 1998 at the height of population displacement, Afghan refugees constituted as much as 60% of the entire world refugee population. Whilst families in the eastern regions of Afghanistan fled to Pakistan during the fighting, at least 2 million people* from the west set out for Iran These families are now returning, a vast influx of people all of whom need a secure place to start their new lives in Afghanistan.  *  UNDP Human development Report 2004 p117 

The makeup and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of a Mine Dog clearance team is completely different to that of a manual clearance team.  The team has a leaner make up reflecting the fact that this is a far less labour intensive technique.  Rather than deminers checking every square inch of earth for metal signals, dogs check the ground for traces of explosive, hugely reducing the number of false signals that require investigation.

It isn't long before we come to an area where the dogs have signalled the presence of explosives.  Once an explosive signal has been found, marked, and verified by another dog a de-miner carefully removes soil with his tools until the source of the explosive is found. The tools look simple, but they have been developed specifically for the task following years of research and development in the field. 

The de-miners pick in the picture above weighs 750 grams and has a 75 cm handle – perfect for long hours of delicate usage – and keeping the deminer as far away from the explosive being excavated as is possible.

As with the manual deminers of ATC the favourite tool for moving small quantities of soil remains the soviet bayonet, a strange legacy from the 10 years of occupation, this most awful of weapons now put to good use in a humanitarian role!

Sometimes the explosive source found can be nothing more than a bullet from the ubiquitous AK 47 assault rifle, this one found during the morning I was on site.  Sometimes however the deminer will reveal an Iranian anti tank mine, a device capable of lifting a bulldozer off the ground or completely destroying a family car often leaving nothing more than a jagged ball of twisted metal.   Before MDC began to de-mine this area accidents of this kind were happening every few months, the last major accident happening in December 2004 when a car with 3 passengers detonated an anti tank mine. Amazingly no one was killed, although all 3 occupants suffered serious injuries, two requiring the amputation of limbs.

As we walk past further excavations, and a huge crater from the detonation of the first AT mine found by MDC5, I am finally able to see a mine clearance dog working in the field, a sight I shall never forget.  The intensity of the work and the importance of getting it right are breath taking – a moment's loss of concentration by either dog or handler could have catastrophic consequences.

The dog handler picks up a pinch of the parched earth, and lets it fall to the ground, checking for wind direction and strength.  Once he is happy that conditions are acceptable the dog is sent into the mine-contaminated area, moving in a perfectly straight line away from the handler, it's nose practically touching the ground.  The dog is always hoping to find explosives because when it does it knows that it will be rewarded by a few minutes of play with the handler – a simple and effective system reinforced by two hours of training each day.

Working from right to left, the dog handler moves with incredible speed, checking a strip 10M long and 50cm wide about every 30 seconds.  I am allowed to approach to within 20 metres of the dog handler, and am constantly being asked by the section leader to retreat to a safe distance as the dog checks the ground and rapidly moves towards me.  The heat is incredible, about 35º C in the shade, and there is no shade anywhere!  I feel as if I am being slowly cooked inside my visor and flack jacket, mesmerised by the flowing motion of man and dog - a life saving team in perfect harmony.

After perhaps 10 trips into the mined area the dog handler reaches into his webbing belt to retrieve a canteen of water and a small steel bowl, the dog drinks the water in a few seconds – a clear illustration of the most important limiting factor to working with dogs in Afghanistan.  With a relatively high core temperature dogs overheat quickly so working sessions with the dogs are brief – around 30 minutes work followed by a period of complete rest in the shade.

The value of these dogs is difficult to calculate.  Both in terms of prevention of human suffering and straight financial terms it is hard to imagine a more valuable tool.  The cost of breeding, raising and training one of these dogs in Afghanistan is around $US1,500, the same amount as a nicely tailored business suit or a skiing holiday.

My four hours on the Jebrail minefield feels like a few minutes, but the visit has to come to an end.  On the way out of the minefield we drive through the village of Jebrail so that I can see the reconstruction in progress – an immensely moving journey.

Jebrail is not so much a village as a town in the making – an enormous construction site full of bustle and activity. It is difficult to drive three white off road vehicles through an Afghan settlement without causing a bit of a stir, and a small boy stands with his donkey, staring at our strange procession and wondering exactly what's going on.  I would normally feel uncomfortable to be the object and cause of such a spectacle, but here I just feel proud to be involved with an organisation that is helping to make it all possible, part of a chain stretching form the AAM Donors to the man mixing cement to build his family home – a circle complete.
 
 

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