RSIPF EOD Team safely removes 1,000-pound bomb in Taro – further destroyed 81 unexploded ordnance items in Choiseul and Western Provinces
The RSIPF Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team removed and destroyed a 1,000-pound aerial bomb in Taro, Choiseul Province, last week. The operation took the team three days. Inspector Clifford Tunuki, Acting Director of EOD, stated that the three-day operation was critical to ensuring the safety of the community, as the bomb was found in a populated area. “In addition to the disposal of the aerial bomb, the RSIPF EOD Team dedicated a further week to responding to and disposing of other Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) reports across Choiseul and Shortlands in the Western Province. A total of 81 UXOs were safely destroyed during this operation”, Tunuki said.
1,000-pound aerial bombs were used extensively by all Allied forces during the Second World War. Both Choiseul and the Shortland Islands were once battlegrounds between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan at the start of the Bougainville campaign in 1943. Unexploded remnants are still prevalent in the area.
The RSIPF EOD Team commend the communities of Choiseul Province and the Shortland Islands in Western Province, where the UXO disposal activities occurred, for their cooperation and support in the success of this operation.
The RSIPF encourages all communities throughout the Solomon Islands to continue reporting any suspected UXOs to their nearest police station or call the RSIPF EOD mobile at 7495215.
