Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales leader in the European Parliament, Jill Evans MEP, has warned that millions of Afghans are being driven into some of the biggest landmine fields in the world in their quest for refuge and aid.

The all-Wales Euro MP says that the innocent victims fleeing their homes to escape the bombings and to search for food are facing another, largely unreported, danger.

Speaking from the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Jill Evans MEP said:

"Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries on the face of the earth. Landmines already kill and maim more civilians in Afghanistan than in any other country.

"Before the outbreak of the war there was an average of 90 recorded landmine casualties there per month. In 2000, mine action organisations marked and mapped about 126 million square meters of mine contaminated land, having already cleared about 104 million square meters.

"The most heavily mined provinces are those bordering Pakistan and Iran, the major destinations for those who attempt to flee. This adds a new dimension to the impending humanitarian disaster and is another reason to halt the bombings in order to save innocent lives."

Four UN workers involved in an Afghan land mining clearing project were recently killed in one of the early bombing raids on Kabul.

Diwedd/Ends.