6 November 2007

The ten NZDF personnel who make up the OP LIMA II Task Group have been in southern Lebanon since June 2007, and are continuing to help clear southern Lebanon of the dangerous remnants of the 34 day war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Towns, villages, farms and hills across south Lebanon are still littered with unexploded cluster bombs. It is estimated that up to one million cluster bombs fired by Israeli forces are unexploded and litter the villages of South Lebanon, killing or injuring civilians every day. Since the UN-brokered ceasefire commenced on August 14 2006 some 30 people have been killed and over 180 reportedly injured as a direct result of unexploded cluster munitions. More than a third of those killed or injured have been children.

It is now one year since the conflict ended but the destructive effects of war remain in Southern Lebanon. Currently there are about 285 cluster bomb locations across South Lebanon and approximately 30 new locations or strikes are added to the UN Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC ) database daily.

‘Cluster Munitions’ - an overview
Cluster munitions are artillery or air dropped munitions that disperse into tens, hundreds or sometimes thousands of tiny but deadly ‘sub munitions’ that often fail to explode immediately (estimations are that up to 25% of those weapons used during last year’s war failed to detonate) and, like land mines, are indiscriminate and can pose a danger to civilians for years after a conflict.

To detonate effectively, most of them must impact a relatively solid surface at an angle fairly close to vertical. Sloping or soft terrain can raise failure rates significantly. The drag ribbons attached to some of these sub munitions can interfere with obstacles during descent, preventing detonation, and many sub munitions have been found hanging from trees,overhanging rocks and other elevated obstacles. Failure rates also increase when the trajectory of the “parent” munitions is too high or too low, and they also lose reliability with age.

The following table highlights the contribution made by the NZDF in clearing this significant problem.

Battle Area Clearance (11 Feb - 1 Sep)
Total Area Cleared	182000.00 M²
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations
Cluster Bombs (CB)	1337
Non CB Ordnance	61

To put the clearance problem in perspective, the roughly 500 square mile target region of southern Lebanon would have “received” approximately 13 sub-munitions for every rugby field sized area. That is the reality of the situation facing the inhabitants of the region and also provides some insight into the significant task facing the NZDF BAC /EOD Team and the other civilian BAC /EOD teams working in the area.

As well as sub-munitions threat, there is the ever present mine threat. NZDF personnel have to remember that Lebanon’s south is also riddled with land mines, laid by retreating Israeli soldiers who pulled out of the region in 2000, after an 18-year occupation. Hezbollah also planted mines to ward off Israeli forces so one does not stray too far off the beaten path without a guide.

A cluster bomb killed one and wounded three civilian Battle Area Clearance searchers recently. Tragic events like this highlight the seriousness of the work the BAC /EOD Teams are undertaking in Lebanon.

Image Gallery - Issue 382