They maneuvered around vast systems of barbed wire, minefields and trenches. They encountered trenches, barbed wire, and minefields. Fortifications were usually surrounded by minefields and barbed wire. The airfield was protected by wire, minefields and blockhouses. The approach was also covered by minefields and other obstacles. All five minesweepers were involved in clearing two minefields off Port Stanley. They conduct demolitions missions and clear minefields using specialized vehicles. This was cited as a retaliation for British minefields and shipping blockades. It was covered by a continuous tank ditch, bunker complexes and dense minefields. The attacks also provided time as Israeli forces cleared paths through Syrian minefields. Using the two paths cleared through the southern minefields, IDF tanks entered the Rafah salient. At Ouadi Doum, panicked Libyans had suffered high casualties running through their own minefields. Paths through the minefields were congested and had deteriorated, which caused more delays. Daman had been secured with small minefields and defensive shelters had been built. The combination of fierce resistance, minefields, thick mud and mechanical breakdowns took its toll.