KABUL (SW) – Following the two incidents caused by the explosion of mines left over from wars in Parwan and Ghazni, a number of residents of these provinces are worried about the threats caused by the left over mines and consider it a persistent threat to themselves and their families.
Hasibullah, one of the witnesses of Saturday’s mine explosion in Parwan, explained: “We were busy working here that, once there was an explosion; When we went closer, we saw that six people were injured and two more people were killed. The problem here is that children are laborers and they bring anything in the scrap to iron shop. They do not understand that this will explode. In these places, whatever explosive is there, must be cleared.”
Jawid, one of the relatives of the child who died in Saturday’s explosion in Ghazni’s Qarabagh district, said: “Unexploded ammunition is still in abundance in our areas. The same type of explosion happened last time, which unfortunately caused tragic casualties. We ask government officials and cooperating organizations to clear the area of explosives so that people can live in peace.”
At least three people were killed and six were injured in Parwan and Ghazni as a result of mine explosions and warheads on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Nooruddin Rostamkhel, the head of Minesweeping Cohesion and Coordination at the Ministry of Disasters Management, said that the lack of funds in this sector is the main reason for the high risk of mine explosions in the provinces.
He added: “Our employees are few because the budget is low. Most of them are jobless at home due to lack of budget. There are 15,000 minesweepers in Afghanistan, of which only 2500 to 3000 are currently working. If the budget is allocated to us in this department and it increases and personnel is added, the risks will be reduced. The general problem is lack of funds. We request cooperation from national and international institutions in this sector.”
He reported that nearly 1,200 kilometers of area in Afghanistan are contaminated with mines.
As per the official statistics, since the beginning of this year, as a result of 111 incidents caused by the explosion of mines in Afghanistan, 70 people have been killed and nearly 180 others have been injured.
