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The Falkland Islands are now mine-free nearly 40 years after they were laid during the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina .
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office confirmed the UK has now met its obligations set by the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and completed its 14-year mission to make the islands in the South Atlantic safe three years ahead of schedule.
It added that signs and fences that were created and constructed after the war ended in June 1982 will now be removed in a local ceremony for islanders, allowing them unrestricted access to beaches, on 14 November.
The dangerous task was undertaken by a demining team from Zimbabwe and supervised by workers at British companies SafeLane Global and Fenix Insight. There are now no anti-personnel mines laid on British soil anywhere in the world.
Wendy Morton, UK Minister with responsibility for the Falklands, said: "This is a huge achievement for the Islands and we must pay tribute to the brilliant team of deminers who put their lives at risk day to day removing and destroying landmines to make the Falklands safe."
A £36million programme has also been launched which will see the UK help remove mines in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Due to casualties incurred during clearance operations, they were stopped for many years. Instead, minefield positions were recorded and fenced off (SafeLane Global) The islands off the southern Patagonian coast have been part of the British Empire since 1833, but the Latin American nation has long felt that the “Islas Malvinas” are illegally occupied and belonged to Buenos Aires.
Led by its military rulers at the time, Argentina launched an offensive and swept into the islands in a surprise attack April 1982, overwhelming a small garrison of 80 Royal Marines in just three hours and forcing a surrender.
Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographsShow all 50 1 /50Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 138345251.jpg May 1982 - Some of the 3000 troops leaving from Southampton aboard the QE2
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 1 --- Getty Images73171073(Photoshop).jpg May 1982 - An Evening Standard headline announces the troops move in
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs Gurkhas.jpg A piper plays as members of the Gurkha Rifles board the QE2 at Southampton
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs kiss.jpg
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs southampton.jpg
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 3 --- GettyImages73239177(Photoshop).jpg 1982 - Staff of HMS Hermes sunbathe on deck as they head towards the Falklands
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 4 --- GettyImages73171075(Photoshop).jpg 1982 - A Londoner reads the Evening Standard for the latest updates
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 5 ----rexfeatures_199818aq(.jpg 1982 - British soldiers come ashore from landing craft
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 6 ---rexfeatures_199818bf(P.jpg 1982 - British Army Gurkhas on their way to the Falklands
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 7 ---rexfeatures_199818bi(P.jpg 1982 - British soldiers marching through Port Stanley
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 8 ---rexfeatures_199818bs(P.jpg 1982 - Argentine troops at Port Stanley
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 9 ---rexfeatures_199818g(Ph.jpg 1982 - British Task Force prepares in San Carlos
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 10 ---rexfeatures_97051u(Pho.jpg 1982 - Journalists being winched down to cover the Crisis
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 11 ---rexfeatures_97051t(Pho.jpg 1982 - Harriers taking off at sea
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 12 ---rexfeatures_91982b(Phot.jpg 1982 - Argentine crowd protesting against British forces
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 13 --rexfeatures_92577a(Photo.jpg A sign on the Falklands with a bullet-ridden Union Jack with the words "Now...To The Death (I'm Sorry)"
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 14 ---rexfeatures_199818j(Ph.jpg 1982 - British soldiers at base camp on the Falklands
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 15 ---rexfeatures_164533c(Ph.jpg British soldiers search captured Argentine troops
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 16 ---rexfeatures_199818ah(P.jpg 1982 - Argentine soldiers are taken aboard HMS Fearless
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 17 ---rexfeatures_199818u(Ph.jpg 1982 - British soldiers in a Port Stanley in flames
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs Orderlies.jpg
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 18---rexfeatures_858407rm(P.jpg 1982 - ITN Footage of POWs during the Falkands crisis
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 19 ---rexfeatures_92613a(Phot.jpg May 3 1982 - The Argentine ship, the General Belgrano is sunk
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs GOTCHA.jpg The famous Sun front page following the sinking of the General Belgrano in May 1982
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 20---rexfeatures_97051i(Pho.jpg 1982 - Atlantic Conveyor, a British merchant navy ship requisitioned during the Crisis
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 21 ---rexfeatures_98312a(Pho.jpg May 1982 - The HMS Antelope sinks after heavy hits
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 22 ---rexfeatures_199818be(p.jpg May 1982 - HMS Antelope sinking
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 23 ---rexfeatures_199818n(Ph.jpg 1982 - British soldiers escaping on lifeboat after their boat is hit
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 24 ---rexfeatures_97051ad(Ph.jpg 1982 - HMS Hermes Sea Warrior landing
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 25 ---rexfeatures_199818p(Ph.jpg 1982 - British Royal Marines watching over captured Argentine soldiers
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 26 ---rexfeatures_93974a(Phot.jpg June 8 1982 - The Sir Galahad, part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary shows extensive air strikes damage
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 27 ---GettyImages73239250(Photoshop).jpg May 1982 - Captured Argentine POWs receive Mass aboard HMS Invincible
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 28 ---rexfeatures_683352a(Ph.jpg June 1982 - Copy of the Argentine surrender of the Falkland Islands, made between British and Argentine forces
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 29 ---rexfeatures_339889a(Ph.jpg July 1982 - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher greets supporters in London after news of the Argentine surrender
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 30 ---rexfeatures_94441b(Phot.jpg HMS Hermes makes its return to Portsmouth
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 31 ---GettyImages73171078(Photoshop).jpg Families of soldiers who served in the Falklands War, in Portsmouth waiting to greet returning British soldiers
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 32 ---rexfeatures_94213a(Phot.jpg The Canberra returns to port from the Falklands
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 33 ---rexfeatures_94213e(Phot.jpg A returning Royal Marine greets his daughter
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 34 ---rexfeatures_94068a(Phot.jpg A family reunites as the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment return to Britain
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 35 ---rexfeatures_95958e(Phot.jpg Soldiers march through London in the Victory Parade
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 36 ---rexfeatures_95958g(Pho.jpg Soldiers march through London in the Victory Parade
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 37 ---rexfeatures_97039a(Pho.jpg Prince Phillip meets with war wounded
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 38 ---rexfeatures_97039c(Pho.jpg Prince Phillip meets Simon Weston, who later went on to gain fame for his charity work
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 39 ---rexfeatures_103088h(Ph.jpg 1983 - A soldier at the 2nd Parachute Regiment Memorial on the Falkland Islands
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 40 ---rexfeatures_879163a(Ph.jpg 1992 - Margaret Thatcher visits Victory Green Port Stanley to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Falklands War
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 41---rexfeatures_302725i(Ph.jpg 1999 - Prince Charles lays a wreath in the sea at the Falklands in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the Crisis
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 42 ---rexfeatures_669060c(Ph.jpg May 2007 - Margaret Thatcher inspects the first striking of Falkland Islands coins
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Falklands War: A look back in 50 photographs 43---rexfeatures_671237c(Ph.jpg May 2007 - Memorial in the Falkland Islands to Lieutenant Colonel H. Jones VC OBE of the 2nd Battalion Parachute, who died in combat
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Britain, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, subsequently sent a naval taskforce to the islands, some 8,000 miles from the UK. In June 1982, British forces retook the islands and they remain in British possession. Over the 10-week battle, 649 Argentinians, 255 Britons and three Falklanders were killed.
Argentina and UK relations were restored in 1989.
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