640 children killed, injured by explosive remnants of war in Afghanistan: Red Cross committee

Kabul : At least 640 children have been killed or injured in 541 incidents involving explosive remnants of war and landmine explosions in Afghanistan between January 2022 and June 2023, said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Khaama Press reported.The Khaama Press News Agency is an online news service for Afghanistan. This figure represents 60 per cent of the 1,092 civilian casualties resulting from these incidents.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.The ICRC in addition emphasized the urgent need for more initiatives to address the problem of weapon contamination and intensify public education campaigns on the risks and perils of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

As per reports, 541 incidents resulted in these children’s deaths. Unexploded bombs and other wartime ordinances continue to threaten Afghan people severely. The report said efforts to remove landmines and other dangerous items were unsuccessful.“Children have been particularly vulnerable to fatal or life-changing injuries as they unintentionally step on landmines or pick up unexploded ordnance littered around the places they stay, play or do household chores,” the report said.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, many donor states and organizations withdrew their funding. ICRC says that the funding shortfall has affected landmine clearance efforts in the country.“The dramatic drop in resources and funding had an equally dramatic impact on efforts to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance,” the ICRC said.

‘There is, however, still a desperate need for the international community to provide technical and financial assistance to reduce the number of human casualties caused by unexploded devices,’ it added.In a recent incident in Afghanistan’s Northern province of Samangan, at least three children were killed, and two others were injured in a mine explosion.The unexploded and abandoned ordonnance pose a real threat to people, particularly children and women.