Afghanistan: explosive abandoned after war explodes and kills 9 children near school

At least nine children died and four others were injured on Monday in eastern Afghanistan after accidentally exploding near a school one of the many unexploded ordnance present in the country after decades of war.

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The incident occurred this morning in Nangarhar province when the explosive device was detonated while an individual was collecting iron parts, the representative of the regional Information and Culture office, Hanif Nangarhari, told EFE.

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As a result, nine children died and four were injured, it said.

According to Afghan media, the explosion took place near a school in the Lalpura district of Nangarhar.

Afghanistan has suffered for years from the effects of explosive remnants and anti-personnel mines, which have been left in the country after decades of armed conflict. Abandoned homes and remote areas pose a greater danger to the civilian population, as they have not been able to be cleared by bomb squads.

Children are especially vulnerable to explosives left behind in conflict zones, handling or playing with them without being aware of their danger.

A similar incident took place on November 24 when four children died and one was injured after a detonation that occurred while the minors were collecting iron parts for sale.

According to Unicef, at least 460 children died as a result of the conflict in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2021, noting that that is only the number of deaths that the UN has been able to verify.

For several decades, companies and demining organizations have worked in Afghanistan to try to remove explosive remnants of war, notably The Halo Trust, which in collaboration with the country’s demining program claims to have cleared about 80% of mines. of the Afghan territory.

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Deshawn