How do you disable a land mine?

Answer 1

The most effective way is to simply blow it in place. A common method used is to fit a South African Buffel 4x4 MRAP with all steel wheels, and simply wheel them through minefields to set off the mines. Another method is to set lines of explosives through minefields, then set off those explosives. The mines will explode through sympathetic detonation.

Then, there's the difficult way. This requires you to dig around the land mine once it's detected. Additionally, you have to ensure it's not booby trapped (e.g., a hand grenade with no pin set at the bottom of the mine in the event the mine is removed). Once it's very carefully dug up, the detonation device has to be removed from the mine body.

One proposed method which could have been.... interesting... occurred when the epidemic of Mad Cow Disease swept through the United States. An estimated 1 million cows were affected. Cambodia, which at the time was estimated to have a similar number of land mines, proposed to buy the cows and ship them to Cambodia with the intent that they would be run through the minefields in order to set off the land mines. However, animal rights activists objected to what they considered a harsh and cruel death for the cows, so the cows were left to suffer the cruel and harsh effects of Mad Cow Disease, instead.

Answer 2

Disabling a landmine should only be done by trained professionals. It involves using specialized equipment, such as mine detectors and explosives disposal tools, to safely remove or neutralize the explosive components of the landmine. It is extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening to attempt to disable a landmine without the proper training and equipment.