page_title: Debris
section_title: War
hierarchical_section_title: Debris / War
caption_attribution_description: English: A child in Cambodia uses a tank (believed to be an M41 Walker Bulldog) as a climbing frame. Deutsch: Ein Kind in Kambodscha benutzt einen Panzer (vermutlich ein M41 Walker Bulldog) als Klettergerüst. Français&#160;: Un enfant au Cambodge s'amuse à marcher sur le canon d'un char (sans doute un M41 Walker Bulldog).
context_page_description: Debris is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, discarded, or as in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier etc. Depending on context, debris can refer to a number of different things. The first apparent use of the French word in English is in a 1701 description of the army of Prince Rupert upon its retreat from a battle with the army of Oliver Cromwell, in England.
context_section_description: In the aftermath of a war, large areas of the region of conflict are often strewn with war debris in the form of abandoned or destroyed hardware and vehicles, mines, unexploded ordnance, bullet casings and other fragments of metal.
  Much war debris has the potential to be lethal and continues to kill and maim civilian populations for years after the end of a conflict. The risks from war debris may be sufficiently high to prevent or delay the return of refugees. In addition war debris may contain hazardous chemicals or radioactive components that can contaminate the land or poison civilians who come into contact with it. Many Mine clearance agencies are also involved in the clearance of war debris.
  Land mines in particular are very dangerous as they can remain active for decades after a conflict, which is why they have been banned by international war regulations.
  In November 2006 the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War
  came into effect with 92 countries subscribing to the treaty that requires the parties involved in a conflict to assist with the removal of unexploded ordnance following the end of hostilities.
  Some of the countries most affected by war debris are Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq and Laos.
  Similarly military debris may be found in and around firing range and military training areas.
  Debris can also be used as cover for military purposes, depending on the situation.
caption: A child plays on an abandoned tank outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1991
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