UNOMIG personnel patrol unarmed in the face of armed threats such as mines left over from the war, attacks by criminals , and kidnappings. UNOMIG patrols have been ambushed and come under direct fire on several occasions.

The most common threat is hostage-taking. Six hostage-taking incidents have occurred in UNOMIG’s history. The last four took place in the Kodori Valley, most recently in June 2003.

First among those who made the ultimate sacrifice, was Lt Col Mohammad Hossain from Bangladesh. He was killed while on patrol in March 1996 when his vehicle hit an anti-tank mine.

Since then, 12 valued members of the UNOMIG team have perished while serving. The most fatal event was in October 2001 when a UNOMIG helicopter on a patrol in the Kodori Valley was shot down, killing all nine people on board.