Kabul, June 30: The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority announced late Monday that it has signed a significant cooperation agreement with a major landmine removal organization. This initiative aims to address the ongoing threats posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
According to a statement released by the authority, the agreement will see the mining organization clear approximately 1.88 million square meters of land across several districts in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan.
As reported by the Xinhua News Agency, the statement also highlighted that this initiative includes the establishment of rapid emergency response teams in the aforementioned provinces and the delivery of mine risk education programs to 36,680 residents in affected communities.
Once fully implemented, this project is expected to benefit around 215,000 people.
Afghanistan is one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. Explosive devices left over from decades of conflict continue to claim lives, with dozens of people, mostly children, killed or maimed each month.
Mulla Abdul Bari Rashid, the provincial director of information and culture, reported that on June 13, a child was killed and six others injured in Helmand province when two unexploded devices detonated.
The first tragic incident occurred in the Sangin district when three innocent children found an object resembling a toy and began to play with it. The object exploded, resulting in one child’s death and injuries to two others.
The second incident in the same district happened a few hours later, injuring four children, although officials provided limited details.
A statement from the provincial police indicated that on June 2, a teenager was seriously injured in Ghazni province when an unexploded device from previous conflicts detonated. This horrific event took place in the Gilan district when the child found an object resembling a toy and started playing with it, leading to the explosion.
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