US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for the use of anti-personnel mines to be permitted.
New rules of use proposed to be formulated within 90 days, The Washington Post reported, citing a Pentagon document.
The document states that the possible lifting of the ban would “multiply the force” of US troops in “one of the most dangerous security situations in the country“.
Among the goals outlined by the Pentagon for future changes is the removal of territorial restrictions on the use of anti-personnel mines.
According to the document, US President Donald Trump condemned the humanitarian mine clearance program.
The 1999 UN Ottawa Convention prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of anti-personnel mines. The United States is not a signatory to the convention. According to the organization, these mines continue to harm civilians decades after the end of the conflict.
In 2024, then-US President Joe Biden authorized the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.