KULOB, July 26, 2011, Asia-Plus — The branch of Tajikistan’s Red Crescent Society (RCS) in Kulob plans to conduct a number of seminars for residents of villages located near the Mumirak training ground in order to raise their awareness of mines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs), Zayniddin Olimov, the executive director of RCS’s branch in Kulob, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, the main objective of the seminars is in cutting the number of casualties by teaching people living in that area some rules of safe conduct.
Located in Muminobod district, the Mumirak training ground is used by Russian military base in Tajikistan. Thus, life-fire missions for tank and motor rifle battalion of the Russian military base in Tajikistan began at the Mumirak training grounds on July 12.
Olimov says the Mumirak training ground does not have proper fencing around it. “Life-fire missions are conducted at the training ground quite frequently and sometimes, unexploded ordnances are left unnoticed in wheat fields or pastures,” he noted, adding that they plan to draw up a map showing areas where unexploded ordnances were found.
“Concern over UXOs near the Mumirak training ground is reasonable,” said Olimov, “Last year, the 16-year-old Avazkhon Salom from the village of Darai Ob in Shouroobod district was killed when a UXO he was playing with exploded. Similar tragedy took place in 2006, when the 17-year-old Saysumon Sulaymon was killed when a UXO he found in wheat field exploded. Over the past several years, fifteen houses in the villages located near the training ground have sustained damage during life-fire missions.”
According to the data from RCS’s branch in Shouroobod district, 13 local residents have been killed and 13 others have been wounded by ordnance or mine explosions over the past twenty years.
