Türkiye clears thousands of land mines in 9 years
provided by National Defense Ministry sources show that nearly 45 million square meters (484 million square feet) in Türkiye have been cleared of mines since 2015.
A total of 226,000 mines have been destroyed over the past nine years as part of humanitarian demining operations coordinated by the National Defense Ministry’s National Mine Action Center (MAFAM), according to information obtained from ministry sources.
Since 2015, the center has been working to raise awareness of the risks of anti-personnel landmines, which can cause injuries or fatalities to people living in areas with high mine risk or in close proximity to mined areas in Türkiye.
In becoming a party to the Ottawa Convention in 2004, Türkiye agreed to phase out antipersonnel land mines and establish a humanitarian border surveillance system. Türkiye abolished the use of antipersonnel land mines by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2011. A mine clearance agency that is tasked with removing land mines planted in the country’s border regions was established in 2015. It was granted an extension to the time frame required to destroy all land mines in its territories in 2013 under the Ottawa Convention as Türkiye failed to meet the first deadline in March 2014.
Türkiye’s efforts to clear the land mines were
hindered when unrest erupted in Syria in 2011, with which it shares a border of 915 kilometers (570 miles), heavily covered with mines. The conflict in Syria, over the border with Türkiye further complicated efforts for planned tenders on land mine clearance work.
Meanwhile, mines released during the Russia-Ukraine war continue to pose a threat to maritime traffic in the Black Sea. Routes followed by drifting mines are determined based on a Turkish Naval Forces Command data analysis, and mine surveillance is carried out on a 24/7 basis. Mine disposal activities involve maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, mine-hunting ships, and patrol vessels. So far, five mines in the Black Sea have been detected and destroyed by the Turkish navy.
All maritime activities are carried out in close coordination with allied countries Bulgaria and Romania under the principle of regional ownership. For the security of the Istanbul Strait, surveillance has been conducted 24/7 with at least two ships present in the area since March 2022. Mine surveillance activities are done in coordination with warships, maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and the Black Sea Surveillance Coordination Center.