Jordan has started a national campaign to identify and destroy unexploded ordnance (UXO), said the National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation (NCDR).
The 500,000 Jordanian dinars project, supported by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will help identify the size of the UXO problem in Jordan and eventually remove that threat in 18 to 20 months, said NCDR Director Mohammad Breikat on Tuesday.
Desk work on UXO assessment will start in November and is supposed to conclude in four months, followed by field assessment that will run a period of 9 to 12 months.
UXO are explosive weapons such as cluster bombs, bullets, shells and grenades that did not explode at the time they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation.
Last December, NATO pledged to help Jordan remove the UXO threat under the Mediterranean Dialogue Trust Fund. The support entails funding a UXO assessment, delivering ERW (explosive remnants of war) locations and providing search equipment to the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), who will be responsible for the removalof UXO.
Jordan's key problem with UXO contamination dates back to the 1970 civil war, and authorities believe the bulk of suspected contamination is concentrated in the north of the country around Ajloun and North Shuneh in the Jordan Valley.
Source: Xinhua
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