The representative of the US Department of Defense, Mike Howard, said that the US army can not yet completely abandon the use of anti-personnel mines during combat operations. This is reported by The New York Times on Tuesday, April 6.
The publication noted that the President of the United States Joe Biden during his election campaign announced plans to review the lifting of the ban on the use of mines.
Howard stressed that the Pentagon considers anti-personnel mines "a vital tool in conventional warfare."
He noted that the US military "cannot with due responsibility abandon (anti-personnel mines-Ed.), especially when faced with significant and potentially overwhelming enemy forces in the early stages of hostilities."
In January 2020, Donald Trump, who was then President of the United States, lifted restrictions on the use of anti-personnel mines by the US military. The ban on their use outside the Korean Peninsula was introduced by the administration of Barack Obama, who served as president from 2009 to 2017.
According to the newspaper, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on the same day explained to reporters that the current US administration is "analyzing" the decision made under Trump. According to Kirby, Washington will decide on further steps after " completing this analysis."
According to the publication, "for many human rights activists, it was a disappointment" that the Biden administration has not yet imposed appropriate restrictions.
