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640 Afghan children killed or injured in landmine explosions since January 2022: ICRC
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) reported on Tuesday that 640 children were killed or injured in 541 incidents involving landmine explosions and explosive remnants between January 2022 and June 2023.
This is nearly 60 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties (1,092 people) because of unexploded ordnance related incidents, ICRC said in the report.
ICRC said that unexploded and abandoned weapons are a very real and persisting threat to civilians returning to the homes and communities they had fled amid decades of fighting in Afghanistan.
“Though the fighting has decreased, people’s lives continue to be disrupted because efforts to clear the landmines and other unexploded weapons have not been entirely successful. This has resulted in an increase in casualties since August of 2021,” ICRC said.
Children have been particularly vulnerable to fatal or life-changing injuries as they unintentionally step on landmines or pick up unexploded ordnance (UXO) littered around the places they stay, play or do household chores, ICRC said.