Amid the persistent threat of unexploded landmines and ordnance in Afghanistan, which claim lives on a near-daily basis, officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Islamic Emirate say they are conducting awareness campaigns to educate people about the grave dangers these mines pose.
Mohammad Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesperson for the NDMA, said that these awareness programs are carried out through various channels, including television, radio, distributing posters, and sending mobile teams to areas where people live near unexploded ordnance from past conflicts.
“We are working to inform all citizens so that when they encounter unexploded mines left over from past wars, they don’t touch them and immediately alert our departments so we can carry out the necessary clean-up,” he explained.
The presence of mines and unexploded ordnance near civilian areas in various provinces, a result of the prolonged conflicts over several decades in Afghanistan, continues to cause civilian casualties. In the past 10 days alone, at least 15 children have been killed or injured by remnants of war in four provinces of Afghanistan.
On January 23, four children were injured in an explosion caused by leftover ordnance in Parwan. On January 26, a rocket shell explosion in Paktia killed one child and injured five others. On January 27, an explosion of unexploded ordnance in Kandahar killed two children. And on Friday, January 31, three children lost their lives in an explosion of leftover ordnance in Laghman.
Families of the victims call on the Islamic Emirate de-facto government authorities to conduct more awareness programs about the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
Akhtar Gul, a resident of Marja district in Helmand, shared that his brother lost both of his legs due to a landmine explosion in their village. “Our friends and families have been harmed by these mines. My brother lost both his legs in a mine explosion. There needs to be work done in this area to prevent further casualties.”
Karim, a resident of Siyah Gerd district in Parwan, expressed: “We ask the Islamic Emirate to encourage other institutions to hold awareness programs for the public about the risks of mines.”
Previously, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that each month, 110 people in Afghanistan fall victim to mines and remnants of past wars, the majority of whom are children.
