EUCAP Somalia enhances Somali Police Explosive Ordinance Unit’s first aid capacity
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit of the Somali Police, as an institution tasked with detecting, identifying, and disposing of explosive materials, has a responsibility that comes with an ultimate risk: an injury or even death. To ensure safety of Somalis, this special team is constantly working to disarm and dispose Unexploded Explosive Ordinances (UXOs), including explosive remnants of war (ERWs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the environment.
As part of EUCAP Somalia’s support to the Somali Police, last week the Explosive Ordinance Team received 50 Individual first aid kits (IFAKs) and a variety of medical items and consumables, to enhance their field medical capability in the important job the EOD teams conduct on a daily basis in disarming IEDs and disposing of UXOs.
With individual first aid kits (IFAKs), and the medical supplies handy for the field team, immediate life-threatening conditions such as bleeding, airway, and breathing problems can be handled on the spot.
Major Asad Abdullahi, the commander of the EOD Unit, explains what the kits mean for his team.
“The first aid kits are important for EOD because we deal with explosives, and if anything happens on the ground, the kits are our first aid,” said Major Asad.
According to local security sources, in Mogadishu alone, the Explosive Ordinance Team responded to at least 26 improvised explosive devices (IED) incidents just in 2021, with more than 240 incidents recorded in 2020-2019. Unreported cases may be higher.
