At least five children were killed in an unexploded ordnance explosion in central Afghanistan’s Maidan Wardak province. The explosion occurred while children, all under the age of 12, were playing in the village of Dasht and Top. Two other children were injured and hospitalized in Kabul.
Every month in Afghanistan, adults and children die in similar accidents due to the large volumes of unexploded ordnance and mines inherited from decades of war and conflict. According to the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs, Afghanistan is one of the countries with the highest concentration of landmines. Civilians are most affected by the violence of mines and the remains of war. About 45 percent of the victims are children.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, hundreds of young children died from unexploded ordnance last year, with an average of two deaths a day. In Afghanistan, considered the world’s largest minefield, Unicef is working with other organizations to raise awareness of the risks of remnants of war, but with international aid cut short after the Taliban came back to power in the summer of 2015. By 2021, demining funds have also dropped drastically.
Millions of land mines have been planted over decades of conflict, adding to these other explosives dropped by the international coalition near battlefields or military zones.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
