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Landmines, unexploded ordnance kill 149 this year

KABUL (Pajhwok): The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has announced clearing nearly 152 square kilometers of land from landmines and unexploded ordnance in the country during the current year.

It says 149 people lost their lives and 404 others were injured in explosions caused by these landmines and ordnance during this period.

Nooruddin Rustamkhel, head of the Coordination and Mine Clearance Department at the authority, told Pajhwok Afghan News that 288 incidents of landmine and unexploded ordnance explosions were recorded across Afghanistan in 2024.

He said that as a result of these explosions, a total of 149 people lost their lives and 404 others were injured.

According to Rustamkhel, the fatalities from these incidents included 14 men, two women, 109 boys, and 24 girls, while the injured included 77 men, 18 women, 262 boys, and 47 girls.

He noted that these incidents occurred mainly in provinces of Maidan Wardak, Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, Farah, Faryab, Uruzgan, Nimroz, Khost, Logar, Paktia, and Paktika.

He added that current year, 151.9 square kilometers of land in the country was cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

He emphasized that since the re-establishment of the IEA, approximately 600 square kilometers of mine-contaminated areas had been cleared in the country.

He also added: "Afghanistan, weary from war, is recognized as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, and every month, dozens of people, mostly children, lose their lives or get disabled due to these explosives."

According to him, there are currently 236 demining teams operating in 34 provinces, with a total of 2,100 personnel working in this program.

sa/ma

 

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