OCHA Says Children Are Main Victims of
Unexploded Ordnance in Afghanistan
Hadia Ziaei / Tolo News
KABUL (July 22, 2024) — The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that in the first six months of 2024, at least 292 people in Afghanistan have fallen victim to explosive hazards.
According to a report, 88 percent of the victims of explosive hazards in Afghanistan are children, and 50 percent of these incidents occurred while children were playing with the ordnance.
The report said: “Explosive hazards are the second leading cause of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, according to the most recent analysis, which is for between August 2021 and May 2023. There were 1,401 casualties between January 2022 and February 2024, 86 per cent of whom were children.”
Mohammad Arif, a resident of Shekho village in Deh Sabz district of Kabul, said his seven-year-old son was injured on April 24 while playing with a mine.
Mohammad Arif told TOLOnews: “We ask the government to pay attention to this issue. There is no war now, but there are many mines and bombs in our village.”
Arman, Mohammad Arif’s son, who was injured in his leg and one eye, remembers the moment of the explosion. He told TOLOnews: “We collected papers, when we set them on fire, there was an explosion.”
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination reported that from the beginning of this year until now, about 300 people have been killed or injured due to mines and unexploded ordnance in the country.
Nooruddin Rustamkhail, the Director of Mine Action Coordination, said: “Nearly 300 people, including 210 injured and 90 killed. Unfortunately, most of the victims are children.”
According to the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination, 282 demining teams are currently operating in 29 provinces of the country.
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