Landmines haunt frontier residents

EODs destroy lives on Bangladesh border with Myanmar, writes SS Alam

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n the dense hill forests along Bangladesh's border with war-torn Myanmar, villagers are losing limbs to landmines, casualties of a conflict not of their making.

Ali Hossain, 40, was collecting firewood in early 2025 when a blast shattered his life.

“I went into the jungle with fellow villagers. Suddenly, there was an explosion, and my leg was blown off,” he said. “I screamed at the top of my voice.”

Neighbours rushed to stem the spurting blood.

“They picked me up, gathered my severed leg and took me to hospital,” he said.

In Ashartoli, a small settlement in Bandarban district — the village name translates as “haven of hope” — the weapons of a foreign war have turned forests, farms and footpaths deadly.