KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 50 people are killed or injured every month in Afghanistan due to unexploded ordnance, Taliban officials said Tuesday, underscoring the country’s long-standing vulnerability to remnants of decades of war.
The figures were shared at a ceremony in Kabul marking International Mine Awareness Day. Nooruddin Turabi, Taliban’s head of the National Disaster Management Authority, said the majority of victims are children and nomadic herders known as Kuchis.
Turabi called on both national and international organizations to intensify efforts to clear landmines and unexploded munitions left behind by previous conflicts.
Also speaking at the event, Nooruddin Rustamkhail, director of mine action coordination at the same agency, said that nearly 3,993 square kilometers of land in Afghanistan have been cleared of mines and other explosives.
However, he noted that more than 1,150 square kilometers — particularly in rural and war-affected areas — remain contaminated.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has previously named Afghanistan as one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries when it comes to landmines and unexploded ordnance. Years of conflict have left millions of explosive remnants across the country, posing an ongoing risk to civilians.
The HALO Trust, a British demining organization, reported last November that improvised explosive devices alone now contaminate more than 65 square kilometers of land across 26 provinces — up from 53 square kilometers at the end of 2022.
According to international assessments, 60 countries around the world face landmine contamination. Afghanistan ranks among the top four in terms of severity.
