On December 30 deminers of the Lithuanian-led PRT-10 destroyed around 800kg of explosives gathered by Ghowr institutions coordinating DIAG process in the province.
Members of the EOD Committee operating in the province handed over for destruction more than 200 weapons collected throughout the province to the PRT: mortar mines, antitank missiles, artillery projectiles, ammunition for grenade launcher, around half of hundred boxes with rounds of various calibre.
All the ammunition was taken to and destroyed in a remote location. Neutralisation process took around half of day.
Close cooperation is developed between civilian and military personnel of the Lithuanian-led PRT and DIAG Committee of Ghowr whose members are Provincial Governor, Chief of Police, Director of National Security Department, other heads of provincial administration institutions, and religious leaders of local community. Commander PRT, Deputy Head of the Lithuanian Special Mission residing in Afghanistan, and other representatives of the PRT participate in the Committee's sittings on a regular basis.
The Committee seeks to collect weapons from citizens of Ghowr and various groups and have separate regions of the province recognised as safe to claim support of the international community and Central Government of Afghanistan for projects of development cooperation. Currently safe regions of Ghowr are Dolina and Lal Va Sarjengal.
Defence Ministry of Afghanistan has established positions of DIAG coordinator in every province to control the process.
PRT troops provide lacking capabilities for local municipality of Ghowr to destroy large amounts of ammunition. Several times per year EOD specialists of the PRT and their Afghan counterparts conduct operations to destroy big amounts of ammunition and arms collected in the province.
Lithuanian-led PRT headquartered in Chaghcharan, the capital city of Ghowr, took up responsibility for security in the province in June 2005. PRT is a joint military-civilian mission operating under International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Its main task is to help Afghan Central Government extend its authority in the province, and to ensure security and environment suitable for provincial reconstruction.
Together with around 120 of Lithuanian military and civilian personnel representatives of Denmark, Georgia, Japan, the USA, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine provide security in Ghowr. PRT-10 is formed on the basis of the 1st Territorial Unit of the NDVF Dainava Military District.
PIO for PRT-10 1st Lt. Skomantas Povilionis.
Pictures and video material by PRT-10 EOD Division:
UNIMOG truck fully loaded with turned in ammunition
Preparation for neutralisation
3-metre hole the explosion knocked out in the frozen soil.
Blast of the explosion could be felt at more than a kilometre's distance.
