https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f...-war-8w07z7kkk
Falklands cleared of landmines almost 40 years after war
Thd Falkland Islands have been cleared of landmines almost 40 years after the conflict between Britain and Argentina.
Tens of thousands of
mines and bombs have been removed as part of a UK-funded programme since 2009, a task carried out by a team of specialist deminers, many of them from Zimbabwe.
Islanders will mark the moment with a ceremonial detonation of the final landmine at the weekend, along with games of cricket and football on reopened beaches.
Wendy Morton, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister, said: “This is a huge achievement for the islands and we must pay tribute to the brilliant team of deminers who put their lives at risk to make the Falklands safe.”
The removal of the mines laid during the conflict means the UK has met its obligations under the anti-personnel mine ban convention. Britain now believes there are no anti-personnel mines on any of its territories worldwide.
Jock Sutherland, 52, a fuel tanker driver from Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, is looking forward to visiting spots that have been no-go zones since he emigrated from Scotland in 1987.
He said: “When I came here, you’d hear a big bang and it’d be a cow or a sheep that had stood on something.”