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11/04/2003: "Kandahar Chronicles #37 - 05/11/2003"

It was another of those conversations that can only happen in a place like this. I suppose it could take place anywhere but here you pay attention to every word.

“Don’t you ever get nervous when you’re defusing a mine?” Bertein asked ‘Andy’, an British NGO demining engineer.

“Only with the little ones, they hurt.” He deadpanned.


Oh. We’re sitting at our little garden table drinking coffee and eating apple pie. Four of us are asking questions between mouthfuls, he answers expertly without hesitation. This is basic stuff to him.

“What about grenades? They’re probably the most likely weapon that would be used against us in our compound.” I venture.

“True, but you don’t have to worry too much about your windows shattering with them. They’re more a fragmentation device and could make a mess of anyone standing within a hundred and fifty meters of the point of detonation.”

“As far as your windows go, you really need to do a risk assessment and determine where the most likely place an attack could occur. Splintered windows driven by a massive concussion are deadly.”

I’d looked around at blast film for the windows when I was in Islamabad. Two hundred micron thickness on the windows will at least keep the window in one piece when it comes in.

“What about the blue sun shade film I’ve got on the back windows now?”

“That just makes the pieces easier to find for the doctor.”

Oh. Suddenly the seven US dollar price tag a square foot didn’t seem too bad. We discussed vehicle safety measures, penetrative capabilities of rockets and IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices). Three million mines litter Afghanistan. Russian, Mujahadeen, Taliban and US mines forgotten. Some glitter in the sun awaiting curious children, some encased in plastic undetectable.

“What should you do if you step on a mine?” someone asked.

“Well, the standard procedure is to leap two hundred feet into the air and spread yourself over a wide radius.”

Black humour is as necessary as a steady nerve for these guys. There is work in Afghanistan alone for life for these former soldiers. But Afghanistan is not alone. Laos, Vietnam, Angola, Mozambique and many other countries are also host to these patient, unmarked weapons. Even the forest around the hostel MSF uses for training first mission people in Holland has warning signs from the Second World War, warning people to stay on marked paths.

We thanked him and made a time to meet for a beer later in the week. It was a sobering talk. We are aware of the situation here and try to secure the compound and vehicles as much as possible. We don’t want to make a fortress but having a stocked bunker and an escape plan is essential. Still, we chose to come to Kandahar and with that will come risk. The trick is to take the obvious precautions and keep learning from the experts who are only too glad to help.

Replies: 3 Comments

I give you "props" (as the new lingo goes) for all you're putting up with in Kandahar. Being an Afghan and having gone through those situations, I truly admire you for putting yourself in a position many would not dare to even think about. It's time people gave MSF credit for withstanding those conditions even before the entire world began to notice the plight of the Afghans post 9/11. It's truly inspirational.

tuRquOise said @ 11/05/2003 11:05 PM EST

I give you "props" (as the new lingo goes) for all you're putting up with in Kandahar. Being an Afghan and having gone through those situations, I truly admire you for putting yourself in a position many would not dare to even think about. It's time people gave MSF credit for withstanding those conditions even before the entire world began to notice the plight of the Afghans post 9/11. It's truly inspirational.

tuRquOise said @ 11/05/2003 11:05 PM EST

What is the worst you've personally faced in terms of dangers, disease, threats, violence? How do you deal with the knowledge of the threats you face? I mean, you have to be thinking that you're here to help these people, and yet you face dangers from them as well.

twc said @ 11/05/2003 09:34 PM EST