In this still image made from video taken Sept. 7, 2015 provided by the Syrian Center for Demining and Rehabilitation, a volunteer deminer takes a landmine from the ground in Daraa, Syria.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that landmines were an important tool that U.S. forces needed, as President Donald Trump's administration is expected to relax Obama-era restrictions on the U.S. military's use and acquisition of them.
"Landmines are an important tool that our forces need to have available need to them in order to ensure mission success and in order to reduce risk to forces," Esper said during a press conference with his Italian counterpart.
"That said, in everything we do we also want to make sure that these instruments, in this case landmines, also take into account both the safety of employment and the safety to civilians and others after a conflict," Esper added.