The U.S. armed forces no longer will deploy anti-personnel mines during combat operations anywhere in the world except the Korean peninsula. President Obama issued the order mandating the new policy Sept. 23, bringing the U.S. into closer line with the provisions of the 1997 Ottawa treaty, which bar the weapons’ use altogether. The White House justified continued deployment of land mines in Korea, citing “our commitment to the defense” of the divided country. The U.S. formally ended production of land mines in June.