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The Russian military has trained almost 900 combat engineers for the Syrian army, using new methods and taking into consideration the Syrian climate and soil, the Russian state-run news agency TASS reported on January 9. All trained engineers received Russian-made metal detectors and equipment.
According to the report, the training program is aimed at preparing combat engineers in the shortest possible period of time. According to Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Bagrov, head of the branch of the International Mine Action Center, Syrian servicemen pass “a one-month program to clear areas of explosive objects.” The program includes “practical and theoretical courses for them to study the means for searching and detecting explosive objects, as well as destroying munitions. They will apply this knowledge later on.”
“The main goal of the center’s opening was the need to prepare a great number of experts to clear the liberated territories of mines and explosive devices that terrorists planted in houses and along streets. We are grateful to the Russian army for the help in demining our territories and preparing Syrian combat engineers. It will help the civilians return to their homes sooner,” TASS quoted head of the Syrian engineer force Lieutenant General Abdul Karim Aderi.
The report added that the main problem of the demining in Syria is a large number of makeshift munitions and explosive devices camouflaged as children’s toys and everyday items along with tripwire mines.
Russia’s International Mine Action Center opened branches in Homs and Aleppo.
