Mine action is a combination of humanitarian aid and development studies that aims to remove landmines and reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of them and the explosive remnants of war (ERW).
Dog search for mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Participant reading a risk education leaflet during a UNMAS event in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Emergency mine risk education for pilgrims during a 2010 Roman Catholic festival in Madhu, Sri Lanka
Iraqi army soldiers prepare for a controlled detonation of ordnance (November 23, 2009, at Mahmudiyah)
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By contrast, the goal of humanitarian demining is to remove all of the landmines to a given depth and make the land safe for human use. Specially trained dogs are also used to narrow down the search and verify that an area is cleared. Mechanical devices such as flails and excavators are sometimes used to clear mines.
South Korean soldiers searching for land mines in Iraq
A US soldier clears a mine using a grappling hook during training
PROM-1 bounding landmine. Normally it is buried so only the prongs are exposed.
British Army sappers clearing a beach front in Normandy (1944)
