Old landmine explodes in southeastern Afghanistan; nine children killed

An old landmine, supposedly laid during decades-old conflict in Afghanistan, exploded overnight in the southeastern part of the nation, killing nine children - five girls and four boys - a provincial official said Monday (Apr 1).

According to the provincial head of the information and culture department, Hamidullah Nisar, the "unexploded mine" went off on Sunday as a group of young boys and girls were playing with it in the district of Geru, in Ghazni province.

"An unexploded mine left over from the time of the Russian invasion went off when they were playing with it. Unfortunately, it killed nine children," Nisar told AFP.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Local police from the region said that the children were aged from four to 10 years.

Nisar claimed that the ordnance was left over from the time of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The United Nations in Kabul said Monday that tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, in Afghanistan, had been killed or injured by landmines and explosives.

It posted on X that UN"#MinAction partners have cleared 3,011 km2 (1,162 mi2) of land." It stressedthat "more work"was needed to protect Afghans.

Afghanistan has suffered decades of conflicts from the Soviet invasion in 1979, after that the civil war, and the 20-year Taliban insurgency against foreign-backed governments.

During that time, different parts of the nation were littered with unexploded mines, grenades and mortars from conflictspanning decades.

However, since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, ending the insurgency, violence has reduced dramatically across the country. But remnants of the past still haunt the nation.

(With inputs from agencies)