U.S. Pledges No New Land Mines, But Existing Devices Remain a Threat

A United States marine sweeps for land mines in the Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan on Sept. 7, 2011.

Image: Rafiq Maqbool/Associated Press

By Colin Daileda2014-06-28 19:06:08 UTC

The United States government doesn't want to destroy its land mines just yet, and the reason comes down to this: Mines can be useful.

On Friday, during a conference in Maputo, Mozambique, U.S. officials announced that the country's military will no longer acquire anti-personnel mines. It will also take steps to join a 1997 international treaty banning the devices.

Historically, the U.S. has at times appeared reluctant to become one of the treaty's 161 adherents. Other countries that have not ratified the document include North Korea, Iran and Russia.

Image: International Campaign to Ban Landmines International Campaign to Ban Landmines

Warring military factions often lay land mines across fields to deter their enemies. Those mines sometimes remain in place long after conflicts are over, often exploding when an unsuspecting civilian steps on one. They've killed at least 88,200 people since 1999. However, the number of deaths per year has dropped from around 26,000 to 4,000 since the treaty was introduced, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Mines have proven in the past to be an extremely effective defense mechanism," Anthony Cordesman, an expert on U.S. defense plans at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Mashable. That's one of the reasons the U.S. wants to keep its stockpile.

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U.S. Pledges No New Land Mines, But Existing Devices Remain a Threat