Lebanese MAG worker wounded by a cluster bomb is southern Lebanon

Friday August 01, 2008 00:46 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A Lebanese citizen working with the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) was moderately wounded on Thursday when a cluster bomb dropped by Israel during the 2006 war detonated near him as he was attempting to disarm landmines in a village in southern Lebanon. 

MAG worker - File

The UN worker was identified as Abbas Akout, 29. Most of his wounds were in his hands and feet as the bomb exploded next to him on Thursday morning in Zwatar village, in southern Lebanon.

 The Israeli army dropped millions of cluster bombs on Southern Lebanon during the July-August war in 2006. Nearly one million cluster bombs failed to explode and now are causing harm to civilians.

The MAG center reported that 51 Lebanese military men and international workers were wounded by these bomblets, and more than 250 civilians casualties were reported since the war ended.

The UN repeatedly demanded Israel to provide a map which shows the locations where the army dropped these bombs during the war but Israel refused to comply.

So far, only 43% of the mines were removed.

About MAG:

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organization clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of communities worldwide. MAG is co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for its work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which culminated in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty - the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines, sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention.

MAG moves into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of those conflicts, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations. MAG consults with local communities and works to lessen the threat of death and injury, while releasing reclaimed and safe land and other vital resources back to the local population, helping countries to rebuild and develop their social and economic potential.

MAG has worked in around 35 countries since 1989 and currently has operations in Angola, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Lao P.D.R., Lebanon, Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Vietnam.

arab world | lebanon war | news report saed at imemc dot org