RASC News Agency: In the wake of daily reports of explosive ordnance left over from the war in various provinces of the country, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently designated Afghanistan as one of the most contaminated countries with mines and explosives. UNAMA issued a statement on Wednesday November 8th, claiming that two-thirds of the 401 districts in Afghanistan are contaminated with mines and explosive materials.
According to the report, more than 60 individuals, most of them children, are killed or injured every month in Afghanistan due to the effects of explosive ordnance left over from the war. UNAMA further states that the contamination of Afghanistan land with mines is a legacy dating back to before 2001 and continues to persist. Provinces such as Herat, Kunduz, Helmand, Kandahar, Konar, Badghis, Faryab, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Farah, Maidan Wardak, and Samangan are severely affected by mines and explosive remnants of war.
Meanwhile, UNAMA’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance states that the fight against mine hazards is severely constrained by a lack of budget. In the past two years, the budget allocated for demining has been reduced by half, resulting in a 40% decrease in demining workforce.
According to UNAMA, the number of demining personnel in Afghanistan has dropped from 15,000 to 3,000.
This is happening while reports of explosive ordnance left over from the war in different provinces of the country reach the media on a daily basis. In the most recent incident, the explosion of a grenade detonator yesterday, Tuesday, November 7th, in Badakhshan province claimed the life of one child and severely injured two others.
It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan has been a witness to years of war, and unexploded ordnance is scattered throughout the country in every corner.
