Bishkek (AKIpress) – During the Humanitarian Mine Action training course in Tajikistan, September 19 to 30, U.S. Soldiers instructed 39 service members and civilians from Afghanistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan about proper demining procedures, according to the official website of the U.S. Army.

Land mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war contaminate millions of square meters of the Central and Southeast Asia regions, where they have the potential to maim and kill children, women and men.

“This course enhances regional security by training these individuals how to take care of enemy remnants of war that litter their lands,” said 1st Lt. Joe Gianino, an explosive ordnance disposal officer from the 723rd Ordnance Company (EOD) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and instructor for the course. “It makes their communities much safer. It makes their governments more stable when they’re able to give these lands back to their civilians.”

The program consisted of four phases. The first three phases taught ordnance education, identification and explosives safety. The U.S. soldiers taught the fourth and final phase, which focused on improvised explosive device awareness and recognition.

“It’s giving different perspectives from different countries,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Michael Wells, a U.S. Army Central EOD officer and the program manager of the course. “The way I solve an EOD problem is not the same that an Afghan would. [The course] encourages that learning environment.”

Participants graduated the course with an international certification, qualifying them to serve their countries in a mine-action capacity. The certificate is in accordance with the International Mine Action Standards.

“We are creating instructors that return and teach future classes,” Wells said. “The end goal is to have a sustainable and self-enduring regional explosives hazards center run by the Tajikistan Ministry of Defense with partners from Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.”

The center is scheduled to be finalized by 2018.

Source: http://akipress.com/news:584188/