Offaly man clearing mines in Syria with UN forces

Birr man Aaron MacCárthaigh is presently stationed in Syria with the Engineering Corps of the United Nations peacekeeping force.

For the last few weeks he has been carrying out the essential, humanitarian work of clearing mines from the countryside. These mines are left behind after combatants move on and they pose a serious risk to civilians.

The UN peacekeepers look for mines with their mine detectors in different parts of the troubled country and carry out controlled explosions whenever they find one.

Using bulldozers they also demolish dangerously unstable, bomb-destroyed buildings.

Aaron said he and his fellow soldiers are very proud to be carrying out this humanitarian work. He said the Syrians are “a lovely people.”