Kiwi Troops Destroy 100kg Russian Aircraft Bomb

Kiwi Troops Destroy 100kg Russian Aircraft Bomb in Afghanistan

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the NZ Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) were called out to the location of a 100kg Russian aircraft bomb threatening both a village and the World Heritage Site of the largest Bamyan Buddha last month.

Recent seasonal heavy rains in Bamyan Province had uncovered the severely corroded bomb next to a town well.

“Disposing of a bomb such as this has inherent risks at the best of times, but with important landmarks and a village close at hand the problems are compounded,” said EOD Officer Lieutenant Nick Fisher.

The EOD team gained permission from the local government and non-government agencies to dispose of the bomb, and began digging a series of large holes as a protection measure for the surroundings and to prevent ground shock.

The Afghan National Police evacuated a one kilometer radius of village, which was some 400 families, and a special A-frame and trolley were built by the EOD team to lift the bomb from the washout and transport it to the disposal site, using long ropes.

The bomb was moved into the area of protective earthworks and specialized charges were placed on it. These are designed to fracture the casing of the bomb and expose the explosive inside which is then disposed of by burning. This allows for the disposal of ordnance without causing a full scale explosion.

“It all went according to plan and 16 hours after work started the bomb was successfully disposed of with no damage to any of the important sites in the area. We are grateful to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, UNESCO and the local Afghan National Police for their assistance during this task,” said Lieutenant Fisher.

ENDS

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