Sean Moorhouse
Sean Moorhouse is an ex-British Army soldier whose introduction to the aid world came in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He has worked in mine action jobs in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Sudan, Angola, Jordan, Cambodia and Iraq. He has an MA in International Studies and lives in the United States.
Iranian shelling uproots Iraqi Kurds
By Sean Moorhouse
From the minefields around the village of Darband, a sound like distant thunder echoed through the steep mountain valleys. What I could actually hear was artillery fire raining down on this remote corner of the Kurdish region of Iraq.
But unlike the oft-reported shells coming over the border from Turkey, these high-explosive projectiles originated in Iran. The Iranian shelling started in May 2006 and has continued sporadically ever since.
... Full article
By Sean Moorhouse
From the minefields around the village of Darband, a sound like distant thunder echoed through the steep mountain valleys. What I could actually hear was artillery fire raining down on this remote corner of the Kurdish region of Iraq.
But unlike the oft-reported shells coming over the border from Turkey, these high-explosive projectiles originated in Iran. The Iranian shelling started in May 2006 and has continued sporadically ever since.
... Full article
Yellow sticks and olive trees in mine-scarred Iraq
By Sean Moorhouse
Last week, I walked through a minefield without wearing any protective equipment. Before you start reaching for a phone book to find me a suitable mental-health professional - and you wouldn't be the first - let me explain.
The day before my apparently foolhardy act, the minefield in question had been cleared of every one of its 551 mines and 104 unexploded munitions. Every last inch of ground had been probed, prodded and scraped away. Just as importantly, not a single deminer was killed or injured in the process.
... Full article
By Sean Moorhouse
Last week, I walked through a minefield without wearing any protective equipment. Before you start reaching for a phone book to find me a suitable mental-health professional - and you wouldn't be the first - let me explain.
The day before my apparently foolhardy act, the minefield in question had been cleared of every one of its 551 mines and 104 unexploded munitions. Every last inch of ground had been probed, prodded and scraped away. Just as importantly, not a single deminer was killed or injured in the process.
... Full article
Which minefield should we clear next?
By Sean Moorhouse
"So..." I panted, as I scrambled up the steep slope behind Fkry, "why are we clearing this minefield and not the other 800 or so near here?"
Fkry paused and turned to face me, giving my aching legs a much-needed rest. "Have you seen what's at the bottom of the hill?" he asked.
... Full article
By Sean Moorhouse
"So..." I panted, as I scrambled up the steep slope behind Fkry, "why are we clearing this minefield and not the other 800 or so near here?"
Fkry paused and turned to face me, giving my aching legs a much-needed rest. "Have you seen what's at the bottom of the hill?" he asked.
... Full article
A day in the life of a deminer in Iraq
By Sean Moorhouse
His face wet with sweat beneath his anti-blast visor, Sabah Mustapha carefully scrapes away yet another small slice of the steep hillside.
Despite being high in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, its still over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). As if the heat and the hard physical labour werent enough, Sabahs already overheated torso also has to cope with the extra burden of his body armour. Not that he would ever dream of working without it; in his years of clearing mines, he has seen their devastating effects on the human body.
... Full article
By Sean Moorhouse
His face wet with sweat beneath his anti-blast visor, Sabah Mustapha carefully scrapes away yet another small slice of the steep hillside.
Despite being high in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, its still over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). As if the heat and the hard physical labour werent enough, Sabahs already overheated torso also has to cope with the extra burden of his body armour. Not that he would ever dream of working without it; in his years of clearing mines, he has seen their devastating effects on the human body.
... Full article
