The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that unexploded ordnance remains a deadly threat across Afghanistan, with children accounting for around 80% of victims and about 50 people being killed or injured each month.
OCHA has raised fresh concerns about the impact of unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict have left landmines, shells and other explosive remnants scattered across large parts of the country.
In its latest statement, OCHA said: “In Afghanistan, some 80% of victims of unexploded ordnance are children.”
The UN agency also warned: “Around 50 people are killed or injured every month.”
OCHA said mine action programmes are saving lives, but these efforts have been “scaled back due to funding cuts.”
Afghanistan has one of the world's highest casualty rates from explosive ordnance. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has previously said the country has the third-highest explosive ordnance casualty rate in the world.
Children are especially vulnerable, as they may mistake unexploded devices for ordinary objects or encounter them while collecting scrap metal, grazing animals or travelling through contaminated areas.
AnewZ contacted the Afghan authorities for comment on OCHA's latest warning but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Afghan authorities have not publicly commented on OCHA's latest statement. However, they have previously acknowledged the continuing threat posed by unexploded ordnance across the country.
In February, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said at least 87 people were killed and 333 others injured in 193 incidents involving landmines and unexploded ordnance during the previous year.
The authority's spokesperson, Hafiz Mohammad Yousuf Hammad, said children accounted for 67.5% of casualties. He also said 58 square kilometres of land had been cleared, 24,720 mines and unexploded devices had been identified and neutralised, 155 demining teams were operating across Afghanistan, and more than 2.1 million people had received mine-risk awareness training.
Despite these efforts, Afghan authorities said more than 106,000 square kilometres of land across Afghanistan remained contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washin...
A Miami-based tycoon wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Donald Trump’s son-in-law ...
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged...
Militants in southwestern Pakistan have killed 42 army and police personnel in multiple attacks, the country’s military has said.
Pakistan is tightening enforcement of its Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan ahead of a 10 July deadline, after which Afghan nationals living in the country without valid visas face immediate arrest under an Interior Ministry directive.
Afghan officials have agreed to expanded cooperation with the United Nations regarding housing and jobs for returning Afghan citizens.
Pakistan's military on Monday linked cross-border militancy, hybrid threats and water security during the 276th Corps Commanders' Conference, reaffirming continued intelligence-based counterterrorism operations and support for the government's position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled across East Asia as Super Typhoon Bavi approaches China. The typhoon, which has maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100mph), is nearing a remote chain of Japanese islands, east of Taiwan on Friday.
This is the last of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged bribery and tender-rigging.
Temperatures above 40°C are scorching parts of Central Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that extreme heat is becoming an increasing public health threat across the region.
This is the third of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment