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By: AFP
In a devastating incident, nine children lost their lives in southeastern Afghanistan due to a blast triggered by a landmine, a provincial official confirmed on Monday.
The explosion occurred as a group of young boys and girls were playing in the Geru district of Ghazni province on Sunday, stated Hamidullah Nisar, the head of the provincial information and culture department.
Nisar explained to AFP, “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.”
According to Ghazni police, the victims, comprising five girls and four boys, were between the ages of four and ten.
Afghanistan bears the scars of decades of conflict, with landmines, grenades, and mortars scattered across its territories since the Soviet invasion in 1979, followed by civil war and the 20-year Taliban insurgency against foreign-backed governments.
While violence has significantly decreased since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, the threat of unexploded ordnance and mines persists. Children, in particular, are often the victims, as highlighted by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Tragically, Sunday also witnessed another incident in Herat province, where a child lost their life and five others sustained injuries due to the detonation of unexploded ordnance, as reported by local police on the social media platform X.
