Land mine
Explosive weapon, concealed under or on the ground / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it.[1]
Such a device is typically detonated automatically by way of pressure when a target steps on it or drives over it, although other detonation mechanisms are also sometimes used.[2] A land mine may cause damage by direct blast effect, by fragments that are thrown by the blast, or by both. Land mines are typically laid throughout an area, creating a minefield[3] which is dangerous to cross.
The use of land mines is abhorrent, cruel, and inhumane because of their potential as indiscriminate weapons. If not disarmed, they will remain dangerous many years after a conflict has ended, harming civilians and the economy. 80% of people killed by land mines are civilians.[4] With pressure from a number of campaign groups organised through the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a global movement to prohibit their use led to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Treaty. To date, 164 nations have signed the treaty, but these do not include China, the Russian Federation, or the United States, all of which are permanent members of the United Nations and have cited national security as a justification.[5]