13 March 2007

In just over a week the New Zealand Battlefield Clearance Team serving in Southern Lebanon has cleared cluster bombs from an area larger than four rugby fields.

The 10-strong New Zealand Defence Force team has been working to clear unexploded ordnance 6km east of Tyre since late-February.

The NZDF contingent, led by Lieutenant Commander Steve Lenik, includes six New Zealand Army engineers and three Navy operational divers.

The engineers survey and mark the sites of unexploded ordnance while the divers use their specialist ordnance disposal skills to disarm and clear the munitions.

LT CDR Lenik said the area cleared by the team so far included cultivated fields and an orange orchard.

“Unexploded cluster bombs threaten Lebanese people and their livestock every day, so it’s satisfying to know that every bomb we dispose of can save a life. There’s a real push from all of us to get the job done.”

The New Zealand contingent commonly deal with four different types of cluster munitions in Lebanon.

“The process used to destroy the different munitions varies depending on the make and condition but we will either disarm and remove it to a safe spot for disposal or destroy it where it lies.”

Ridding Hills of "qunbulah"

Typical day in Lebanon
It's about 6.30am on a cool spring morning in Southern Lebanon. It's deathly quiet as the NZDF Battlefield Area Clearance (BAC) Team arrive at their area of operations and prepare for a day of sub-munitions disposal operations. Occasionally, the peace is broken by quail birdsong, punctuated by the bark of a hunting dog and the crack of its master's shotgun.

As a typical day wears on, the heat rapidly burns the sparse clouds away. Soon we hear the distant clanging of bells as an enormous herd of goats appears over a distant rise. The goat herder's toothless grin belies deep concerns. We often hear the familiar cry, “rajaan; qunbulah, qunbulah!” meaning, “please, bomb, bomb!”. To rid the land of these qunbulah is the mission of the NZDF team.

First impressions
Arriving in Lebanon, we were overwhelmed by the support shown to us by the locals and other BAC teams. There are about 65 civilian teams from all around the world working in Southern Lebanon to clear the cluster bombs, plus 12,000 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel, who are primarily from Italy, France, Ghana, Spain and Belgium. The locals' almost carefree attitude seems incomprehensible considering the hell many have been through, but their life must have improved markedly from six months ago.

Why we're here
The South Lebanon area is littered with up to one million cluster bomb sub-munitions left over from the war of July and August 2006. Our task is to locate and destroy these munitions so that the Lebanese people can tend their crops and raise their livestock.

It's easy to imagine that the bomblets are simply lying on the ground, easy to see and identify – but we quickly discovered this is not the case! It's been more than six months since the war ended; many munitions are buried in grass or beneath the earth's surface. The bomblets are also beginning to rust and resemble the earth in which they lie.

But the guys are really getting their eye in now. The tell-tale white ribbons attached to some cluster munition types are now distinguishable from the white spring flowers. There's a bit of a tally going now as to who has located the most bomblets – not to the detriment of safety of course!

Driving 30km from our apartments to the task sites near the Blue Line takes about one hour. The slow journey is due to the terrible roads in the more Southern regions, and the unwritten traffic rules. It's a battle of wills as to who wins right of way through the small streets and around the artillery shell holes.

These roads pockmarked by shell craters and shrapnel damage are lined by buildings with significantly more damage. Some villages in the hills are almost completely destroyed, but the locals are rapidly rebuilding.

The social scene
The team has established their domestic footprint in our local town of Tyre, an ancient seaside town that embraces the Mediterranean. Wandering around the nearby marketplace or “souq”, the air is filled with the sweet aroma of “shisha” smoke (something Sapper Matt Carey enjoys) and the smell of charcoal-cooked meat. The famous Lebanese kebab is something we indulge in with fervour.

But we don't always eat out, of course. Our three apartments are well equipped and co-located, so you can frequently hear the sounds of the boys preparing (or at least attempting to prepare!) meals. But one of the biggest problems is trying to cook when the power cuts off.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we participate in sports evenings with other UNIFIL nations. So far the Belgians have proffered themselves for a beating, but we did mention that soccer isn't a goer!

From day one we've learnt that our Kiwi badges work wonders over here. This is testament to the admirable efforts of previous NZDF missions in the Middle East. Our team are proud to be given the opportunity to maintain the NZDF's good name in Southern Lebanon.

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