The Biden administration will ban the use of landmines by the United States around the world in a decision that reverses the rules of the Trump era, allowing greater use of the weapons accused of killing thousands of civilians each year – most of them children. The move, which the White House is expected to announce on Tuesday, limits an extensive internal review of a policy enacted in early 2020 that empowered military commanders to use landmines worldwide in certain situations. It allows the United States to use weapons along its allies in South Korea’s border with North Korea, although no mines have been deployed there at present. A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe actions that had not yet been made public, said the new policy reflected the Biden administration’s belief that human rights should be an important factor in considering when to use them. weapons or supply to other countries. U.S. officials say anti-personnel mines used by various nations kill about 7,000 people a year. the vast majority of whom are citizens. At least half of the victims are believed to be children. In places like Afghanistan and Yemen, landmines remain a hidden danger after conflicts, sowing farmland or mountain trails with invisible and long-term danger. Proponents of humanitarian aid stress the dire and deadly effects of landmines used by Russia in Ukraine, including those banned under international law. (Video: Leila Barghouty / The Washington Post) Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, a defense group, welcomed the new policy, but said the United States must take the necessary steps to join the Ottawa Convention, a 1997 treaty that prohibits participating nations from use, carry or store weapons in categories as anti-personnel mines. “We are still at an unspecified level with most of the world,” Kimball said. “The administration needs to move faster to bring us in line.” While the United States remains unfit to join the Ottawa treaty because of its refusal to completely renounce landmine use, U.S. officials say they hope to do so if alternative weapons are developed to protect South Korea’s border with North Korea. The new policy will bring the United States into compliance with most aspects of the treaty, banning the production and purchase of mines and banning their export and transportation, unless necessary for their destruction. The regulations also oblige the United States to destroy existing US mines that are not considered necessary in South Korea. The US stockpile contains about 3 million anti-personnel mines, all of which have self-destructive or self-deactivating characteristics. The United States has used anti-personnel mines since the Ottawa Treaty entered into force in Afghanistan. As a presidential candidate, Biden has vowed to reverse what he described as President Donald Trump’s “reckless” stance on landmines. Officials have framed the policy, which is identical to the Obama administration’s rules, as further evidence of the Biden administration’s commitment to citizens’ well-being and human rights. The United States is also a major supporter of efforts to destroy conventional weapons, including land mines and other unexploded ordnance. Critics say the Biden administration’s actions have failed to match its rhetoric in other areas of human rights, including its support for leaders who have overseen widespread abuses. The new policy comes in the wake of Biden’s expected meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) Urged the Department of Defense, where senior officials have voiced support for landmine use, to implement the new policy quickly. “It’s a long overdue recognition that the serious humanitarian and political costs of using these weapons far outweigh their limited military utility,” said Leahy, who has long advocated ending landmine use. Annie Shiel, an official at the Center for Civilian Conflict (CIVIC), said the task now is to ban guns “without exception.” “Landmines are indiscriminate weapons that cause catastrophic damage to civilians for decades after their use,” he said. The new rules remove power from the Pentagon, giving control to the White House. When the 2020 regulations were unveiled, the Pentagon described landmines as valuable for protecting troops from being overtaken or routed by enemy forces in areas where they could attack. This policy allowed military commanders to order the use of certain landmines in battle, provided they had the potential for self-destruction or self-deactivation. “The United States will not sacrifice the safety of American troops,” a senior Pentagon official said at the time. Military leaders have also supported the use of landmines since Biden took office. In April, General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described landmines as an important tool in times of war. “Anti-tank mines or anti-personnel mines are a very effective use in combat,” he said, noting the need to ensure that weapons do not remain active after the conflict. The State Department official said Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the review process “had the opportunity to address their need for landmines with the White House and to talk about their operational effectiveness, but that was the decision. “ The Biden government has highlighted the tax burden on land mines in the war in Ukraine, where officials say Russia has indiscriminately mined. While Russia is not a party to the Ottawa Convention, Ukraine has signed it. Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Chandler said: “There is no credible evidence that Ukraine is using [anti-personnel mines]at present or during the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 “.
