 "Large areas of Afghanistan are plagued by unexploded mines, grenades, and mortars left over from decades of fighting, including the Soviet invasion in 1979, the subsequent civil war, and the 20-year Taliban insurgency against governments supported by foreign powers Image Courtesy Agencies")
A provincial official announced on Monday that a landmine planted during the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan triggered an explosion in the southeast of the country that claimed the lives of nine youngsters.
In the Geru area of Ghazni province on Sunday, a group of young boys and girls were playing with a mine when it exploded, according to Hamidullah Nisar, the provincial head of the information and culture department.
“An unexploded mine left over from the time of the Russian invasion went off when they were playing with it,” Nisar told the media.
“Unfortunately, it killed nine children.”
The youngsters, four boys and five girls, were between the ages of four and 10, according to Ghazni police.
Large areas of Afghanistan are plagued by unexploded mines, grenades, and mortars left over from decades of fighting, including the Soviet invasion in 1979, the subsequent civil war, and the 20-year Taliban insurgency against governments supported by foreign powers.
Since the Taliban took over in August 2021 and put a stop to their insurgency, there has been a significant decrease in violence.
Nonetheless, unexploded bombs and mines continue to take life on a regular basis; the International Committee of the Red Cross reports that children are the primary casualties.