The common misconception that all Hazara are anti-taliban and friendly is extremely wrong as prominent Hazara militants have thrown in their lot with the Taliban and operate often with impunity from Dai Kundi and surrounding regions, heavily backed by Iranian arms, including the mines.
The
areas East and North of Herat in particular are like the Wild West and among
the more dangerous in the country. As the roads here are few, poor, dirt and
often used by ISAF and CF, they are probably the most IED & mine ridden for
tourists to encounter.
Anti-Personell Land Mines and other forms
of Un-Exploded Ordnance (UXO)
Assume absolutely everywhere in Afghanistan
that doesn't receive considerable amounts of foot traffic is a potential
minefield. Often an area will be marked with some form of simple local signage
to indicate known quantities of uncleared mines and UXO's. This is typically in
the form of red paint on rocks, or sometimes sticks with red ribbon or the top
painted red. BEWARE: Often the warning will be only a few drips of paint on a
rock, often covered in thick dust and unless you are actively looking for them,
they are easy to miss.
(to be continued)
