Algerian troops clear 3,000 French colonial era mines

Algerian troops in November this year destroyed 3,472 mines dating back to the French colonial era along the eastern and western borders, an official source said Tuesday.

During a mine-removal operation, the troops discovered and destroyed 420 anti-personnel mines, 23 anti-group mines and 10 flare mines, Xinhua quoted the official APS news agency as saying citing the source.

The colonial France planted mines between 1956 and 1959 along the borders with Morocco and Tunisia as part of lines of electrified wire, minefields and other military barriers known as Challe and Morris Line, aiming to stop the smuggling of weapons to the support Algerian Revolution (1954-1962).

In 2007, Paris gave Algiers a map marking the locations where the French occupation forces had planted millions of mines.

So far, Algeria managed to clear some nine million mines since 1963. Due to these colonial era mines, many Algerians, especially children and sheep herders, were killed or disabled.