877th Horizontal Eng. Co. rids terrain of munitions in Afghanistan

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – For more than three decades of war in Afghanistan, anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines, unspent shells and unexploded ordnance remnants litter many parts of the arid terrain, exposed to harsh winds that have blown away the topsoil through the years. Former Soviet Union occupation soldiers emplaced these mines that lay unscathed just as deadly as the day they were primed.

The 877th Horizontal Engineer Company’s area clearance team, Task Force Dolch, Task Force Sword, an Army National Guard unit from Augusta, Ga., performs the initial and final stages of ordnance area clearance along with civilian contractors and the 49th Mine Dog Detachment of TF Sword, Explosive Ordnance Disposal. 

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Justin Lowery, the 877th Horizontal Eng. Co.’s AC team platoon sergeant from Augusta, Ga., stated that his team’s mission is to clear minefields on Bagram Airfield, clearing the land for future development projects. The Mine Action Center on BAF organizes the missions.

“We need to clear a percent of the total area after the entire mine clearing process, to certify that the land is safe,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Rush, the quality assurance quality control, route clearance squad leader of the 877th Horizontal Eng. Co. AC team and native of Lyones, Ga. An estimated 21,000 anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines have been removed from Bagram Airfield,” said Lowery.  “As soon as we clear the land, that’s when it gets developed.”

Some of the AC team’s armored vehicle operators have come across unexploded ordinance as large as 700-pound warheads, if not larger, said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Jerome Stokes, an Augusta, Ga. native and the 877th Horizontal Eng. Co.’s AC team platoon leader. The AC team has assisted in clearing 293,106 square meters of land on BAF. 

“Area clearance is a job that has to be done slowly and deliberately; there’s no room for mistake, one oversight can cost us lives,” said Lowery.  Explosive remnants of war continue to hinder the development and safety of Afghanistan in many areas.  The AC team continues to dramatically reduce the ERW in the local area and contribute to the success of Operation Enduring Freedom one landmine at a time.