Apr 04, 2026, 08:09Apr 04, 2026, 08:09
Children in Afghanistan continue to be particularly affected by mines and unexploded ammunition. “Children pay the highest price,” wrote the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, in a statement on today’s International Mine Awareness Day.
Children in Afghanistan continue to be particularly affected by mines and unexploded ammunition.Image: keystone
Various groups have been fighting in Afghanistan for over 40 years. Explosive remnants in the country range from ammunition from the Soviet occupation in the late 1970s to improvised mines from recent years, explains Nick Pond, head of the UN mine clearance program in Afghanistan.
Children find the remains while playing or grazing animals, Pond described the dangers at a recent press conference in Kabul. In mid-February, for example, an unexploded bomb exploded that a group of boys threw into a fire in Nangarhar in the east of the country. Two boys died immediately and another died later from his injuries. Now there could be further dangers.
Ammunition residues continue to be a danger
Afghanistan and its neighboring country Pakistan have been fighting again since the end of February. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring terrorists who carry out attacks in Pakistan. The Islamist Taliban in Kabul deny this. Pakistan has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s interior. But the fighting is currently concentrated in the shared border area.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) said it was able to remove eight remains of rockets and grenades there this week. The explosive devices were found after fighting broke out between neighboring countries. It was not possible to independently verify who they came from.
UN demands more money for clearance work
The organization continues to clear the border area and tries to educate residents. Afghans who returned from Pakistan are often not yet aware of the dangers, writes DRC in a statement. But there is often not enough money to expand the programs.
International aid has been significantly cut back since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. In 2011 there were still 15,000 minesweepers and trainers active in the country; today there are only 1,300, said Nick Pond in Kabul.
The UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan is therefore calling for more money from the international community. “We have a shared responsibility to ensure that children no longer misunderstand mines as toys,” wrote Richard Bennett. (sda/dpa)