Kabul, Feb 8 (IANS) A child was killed and another injured as an unexploded ordnance left over from the past wars went off in the western Badghis province, said a statement of the provincial police office on Sunday.
The accident occurred when the children were playing in Sang-e-Atash area on Saturday evening, killing one child on the spot and injuring another, the statement said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Afghanistan is regarded as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, as the mines and unexploded devices left over from the past more than four decades of war often target people in the country.
On February 4, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) said that at least 87 people were killed and 333 others injured in 193 incidents involving unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan over the past year, local media reported.
ANDMA Information Department Head Hafiz Mohammad Yousof Hamad said that the Mine Clearance Coordination Department and demining organisations cleared 58 kilometres of land of unexploded ordnance in 2025 and found and neutralised 24,720 mines, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
Hamad mentioned that 67.5 per cent of the victims were children, showcasing the severe impact of unexploded ordnance on youngest and most vulnerable population of Afghanistan. He further said that 155 demining teams are conducting work in Afghanistan. During the past year, these teams provided awareness training to over 2.1 million people in Afghanistan.
Despite these efforts, around 105,000 square kilometres of land in Afghanistan continues to remain contaminated with unexploded ordnance, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
On February 3, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that Afghanistan has been ranked third globally for casualties caused by landmines and unexploded war remnants.
UNAMA stated that nearly 80 per cent of the victims are children, who get often injured or killed while playing or unknowingly touching an unexploded ordnance. The UNAMA demanded increased financial support for demining organisations working to clear mines and aware people about explosive risks, Afghanistan’s leading news agency Khaama Press reported.
According to UNAMA, clearance teams function every day to remove explosive remnants while awareness campaigns are launched to reduce exposure of people to deadly materials. The UN mission has advised people in Afghanistan to not touch suspicious material and instead report them to authorities to stop further casualties.
–IANS
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