KABUL (SW) – The World Mine Awareness Day was marked at a ceremony here on Wednesday with the participation of key Islamic Emirate officials.
Mine clearance officials said on the occasion that Afghanistan is one of the countries with the highest death toll from landmines – about 150 people falling victim to landmines every month. Mine clearance officials added that demining is a non-political process and that the government and international organizations need to support it.
Mohammad Sharif Yaqoubi, head of the Institute for Energy Reconstruction and Energy Conservation of Afghanistan, said at the meeting that about 140 to 150 people are killed by landmines each month.
Mariana, head of the Hallo Mine Action Trust, also stressed that Afghanistan had the highest level of casualties from landmines.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohammad Abbas Akhund, head of the Ministry of Disaster Management, said that the Islamic Emirate fully supports the demining process in the country and is working to improve the work of demining institutions.
Earlier this month, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that since the beginning of January 2022, more than 200 people have been killed or wounded in Afghanistan as a result of unexploded ordnance.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also said in a statement that 301 children had been killed or injured in Afghanistan in the past seven months by landmines and unexploded ordnance left over from the war.
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