From Wn.com

The remnants of a war that was waged more than 40 years ago are still destroying lives in Laos, CNN reports.

Some 80 million unexploded bombs are scatted across the small Southeast Asian nation – the deadly legacy of what became known as America’s “secret war” in Laos – a CIA-led mission during the Vietnam War.

The operation was aimed at blocking Vietnam’s supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the south of Laos, and also to support the Laos government loyalists in a civil war against communist forces in the north.

In total, between 1964 and 1973, the US dropped more than two million tons of bombs – one of the heaviest aerial bombardments in history.

Most of the munitions dropped were cluster bombs, which splinter before impact, spreading hundreds of smaller bomblets – known locally as “bombies.”

To this day, fewer than 1 percent of the bombs have been removed, according to US-based NGO Legacies of War, which is spearheading the campaign to clear them. The group’s founder, Channapha Khamvongsa, says Laos’ victims have been all but forgotten.

The “secret war” is still claiming victims. More than 20,000 people have been killed or maimed by the unexploded ordnance (UXOs) since the war ended, and currently, 50 people are maimed or killed every year. Around 40 percent of those are children.

“(The bombies) are tennis ball sized weapons. The children often mistake the bombs for toys, and pick them up and throw them around. This is often the cause of an explosion.” – Channapha Khamvongsa
Farmers are also among the worst affected, as the poorest are forced to toil the mine-laden fields to feed their families.

For more on this story go to:  https://article.wn.com/view/2016/09/06/Unexploded_Bombs_Still_Ruin_Lives_In_Laos/

IMAGE: www.bt.com.bn