“These areas have been mined for many years,” says Lappington. “We’ve gone in and cleared it and all of a sudden they’ve got this big vast expanse that the children can play on. This gives me a sense of achievement. I’ve used my skills, which have taken me a long time to acquire, to make the land safe. The politics don’t matter. Back home in Ireland, I can walk where I want. And I come here and you’ve got the children, their families that can’t go in certain areas because they’re mined and there UXO is lying around. As MAG’s logo says, we’re saving lives and building futures.”
MAG team members line the demolition pit with the unexplodedordnance removed from the Samsawa Village construction site inKurdistan, northern Iraq.
Explosives harvested from the Samsawa Village construction sitein Kurdistan, northern Iraq include 240 size mortars, a combination of105 and 122mm artillery projectiles, type 63 107mm Chinese rockets, andmortars sized 120 down to 60mm, an assortment of RPG tail heads, and fusesstored in a pit and awaiting transport to an isolated demolition site.
Construction workers pouring fresh cement onto newly mintedcinder blocks that will eventually become the foundation for housing inSamsawa Village in Kurdistan, northern Iraq for Kurdish IDPs, displacedunder the regime of Saddam Hussein.
A member of the MAG team straps initiation charges to one of thelarge mortars that top off the demolition pit filled with explosivesharvested form the Samsawa Village construction site in Kurdistan,northern Iraq.
The demolition pit immediately after the detonation of the explosives that were harvested from the Samsawa construction site in Kurdistan, northern Iraq.
A MAG team member stands next to the pickup truck loaded with unexploded ordnance found at the Samsawa Village construction site awaiting transport to the MAG demolition pit.
A MAG team member explains the layout of the Samsawa Village construction site in Kurdistan, northern Iraq and points out where exact spots the explosives were harvested from.
