Landmine

Conflict Usage

Kurdish-Turkish Conflict

Side: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)Role: Roadside mine emplacementmine warfare

In the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict, Turkish defense-ministry reporting said security forces defused DM-11 anti-personnel landmines that the PKK had planted on a roadside in Sirnak province in 2020.

Mali War

Side: Rebel and jihadist armed groupsRole: Improvised anti-vehicle mine attacksmine warfare

In the Mali War, mine-action reporting describes improvised anti-vehicle mines planted by JNIM and other armed groups against MINUSMA peacekeepers, Malian forces, and civilians, especially in central and northern regions.

Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict

Side: CambodiaRole: Disputed border mine incidentsmine warfare

During the Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict, landmine blasts injured Thai soldiers along the border; Thailand accused Cambodia of laying new mines, while Cambodia denied new emplacement and attributed the danger to old uncleared mines.

War in Afghanistan

Side: Taliban and allied militantsRole: Victim-activated improvised minesmine warfare

In the War in Afghanistan, UNAMA and Landmine Monitor reporting treated Taliban and other armed-group pressure-plate IEDs as victim-activated improvised anti-personnel mines used during the insurgency.

Landmine Images

Related Weapon Systems

MunitionsImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive devices are nonstandard bombs assembled from commercial, homemade, or military explosive components and triggers; this entry covers Houthi roadside and repurposed-ordnance IED use in Yemen, the Pulwama vehicle-borne suicide car bomb, Maute group booby traps in Marawi, and Boko Haram IED and mine-style attacks in the Lake Chad basin.

Infantry WeaponsAK-47/AKM rifle familySelective-fire assault rifle familyAK-47/AKM-family rifles are Kalashnikov-pattern small arms derived from the Soviet AK-47 and 1959 AKM modernization, usually chambered in 7.62 x 39 mm. In the post-2015 archive they appear with FARC dissidents in Colombia, gangs in Haiti, PKK fighters, GNA scouts in Libya, insurgents in Mali, Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, militants in Sinai, RSF units in Sudan, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and Houthi-linked supply chains in Yemen.

Infantry WeaponsExplosively formed penetrator improvised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceThis Hamas-linked explosively formed penetrator improvised explosive device is a locally made anti-armor charge built around a concave copper liner. During the Israel-Hamas War, IDF seizures in Gaza and press briefings tied Shawaz EFP variants to Hamas's armored-vehicle threat and October 7 attack kits.

Infantry WeaponsMagnetic or sticky anti-vehicle bombImprovised explosive deviceMagnetic or sticky anti-vehicle bombs are improvised explosive devices that are manually attached to armored vehicles so the blast lands at close range. In the Israel-Hamas War, reporting from Khan Younis described Hamas using a sticky bomb against an Israeli tank, showing how the device fits urban anti-armor ambushes in Gaza.

Infantry WeaponsPKM/PK7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PK and lighter PKM are Soviet-designed, belt-fed 7.62x54R general-purpose machine guns used from bipods, tripods, vehicles, and improvised mounts. Their low weight for the class, non-disintegrating belt feed, quick-change barrel concept, and wide Warsaw Pact distribution make the family a common infantry fire-support weapon in recent conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine War, Yemeni Civil War, Boko Haram Insurgency, and Israel-Hamas War.

Infantry WeaponsTC/6 anti-tank mineAnti-tank blast mineThe TC/6 is an Italian plastic-cased, pressure-activated minimum-metal anti-tank blast mine. In the Israel-Hamas War, AP reported that weapons recovered from Hamas fighters by the Israel Defense Forces appeared to include TC/6 mines, making the design visible in Gaza conflict reporting even though open-source identification cannot rule out Iranian copies.

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