WASHINGTON - United States military commanders will soon have permission to again use landmines in conflict zones.

The White House Friday announced it has canceled rules prohibiting the use of landmines in areas outside the Korean Peninsula, arguing the self-imposed ban threatened to put U.S. troops "at a severe disadvantage."

President Donald Trump is "unwilling to accept this risk to our troops," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. "

The President will continue to support and equip our troops so that they will forever remain the greatest fighting force in the world," she added.

The U.S. abandoned the use of landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula and began destroying its stockpiles in 2014 under the direction of then-President Barack Obama.

Obama also pledged to find ways for the U.S. to fully comply with the Ottawa Convention, which banned the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines in 1997.

According the White House, the new policy will authorize military commanders "in exceptional circumstances, to employ advanced, non-persistent landmines specifically designed to reduce unintended harm to civilians and partner forces."

Speaking earlier Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper argued the military needs landmines to "shape the battlefield" and protect U.S. forces, calling them a tool "our commander need to have.".

"We want to make sure we have all the tools in our toolkit that are legally available and effective to ensure our success," Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters during a news conference with Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini. "

We've taken great care and consideration," Esper added. "In everything we do, we also want to make sure that 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."

In a statement issued Thursday, following the first reports of a potential change in U.S. landmine policy, the human rights organization Amnesty International condemned the move. "

There is a reason why the use of antipersonnel landmines is illegal: they can't distinguish between fighters and ordinary people, and often continue to kill and maim for years after conflicts end," Amnesty International USA spokesperson Adotei Akwei said in a statement. "

This decision is consistent with an administration that has proven itself indifferent to human lives and suffering," Akwei added.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy (of Vermont), also raised concerns, saying to his knowledge, no lawmakers had been consulted. "

Although the United States is not among the 164 countries that have renounced anti-personnel mines, we have consistently sought to limit their production, export, and use," Leahy said in a statement. "

The example we set has global ramifications," he added. "Congress must be consulted before any decision that would reverse the gains we have made toward ending the carnage caused by landmines."