Colombo, Aug 22: The United States will train Sri Lankan armed forces in de-mining techniques under a stepped up military assistance programme, the US Embassy announced here today. Sri Lanka and the US signed an agreement today under which Washington will spend some USD 2.2 million on the programme to train the Lankan security forces in humanitarian de-mining, the embassy said in a statement. Six experts, including four Americans, will instruct Lankan military personnel in techniques to de-mine Sri Lankan soil to international standards according to the terms of the agreement, it said.
The six-month training beginning Sunday is an extension of the de-mining assistance already given by the US after Tamil Tiger rebels and the security forces began observing a Norwegian-brokered truce in February 2002. Last year, the American-funded Quick Reaction De-Mining Force (QRDF) removed nearly 1,000 mines and 150 items of unexploded ordnance from 121,348 square meters of land on the northern Jaffna peninsula, the scene of bloody fighting between the separatist rebels and troops for several years.
"The objective of this new phase of de-mining assistance is to prepare Sri Lankan military forces to clear mined areas of Sri Lanka to international standards," the statement said.
The US, a frontline supporter of the island's Oslo-sponsored peace process, has increased its military assistance to Sri Lanka in recent years, particularly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Bureau Report