The mines were laid in 2002 by the Nepal Army (NA). A small garrison of the NA was posted there for the security of Nepal Telecommunication’s tower. The area was vacated by the army in 2004.
Captain Manoj Gurung informed that the records of landmines in the area were destroyed. So, it "took longer than it should have."
The army was able to identify only 99 out of 202 mines that were originally laid for the security. “Three forest fires destroyed some of the explosive buried under the ground. Few others were stolen by unidentified civilians,” the officer said.
British Ambassador Andrew Hall said that the demining and handing it over to the local community was an important part of the after-conflict.
“People were being killed even after the conflict ended due to these land mines. So it was a vital task to clear the landmines as soon as possible,” Hall said.
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