KHOST, Afghanistan — An explosion caused by leftover ordnance wounded four children and one woman in the eastern province of Paktia, Taliban said on Thursday.
According to Taliban police in Paktia, the blast occurred on Wednesday evening in the Alzo area of Zurmat district, when one of the children was reportedly playing with an unexploded artillery shell.
Muneeb Zadran, spokesperson for the provincial police command, said all five victims were transported to a nearby medical facility, where they are being treated. He added that the incident is under investigation.
Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries with land mines and unexploded ordnance, the result of more than four decades of conflict. These hidden remnants continue to claim civilian lives, particularly among children.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that children account for the majority of victims in such incidents, often injured or killed while unknowingly handling explosive devices.
According to humanitarian agencies, an average of 50 people are killed or injured each month in Afghanistan due to mines and unexploded munitions. Each year, an estimated 600 civilians fall victim to these deadly remnants of war, many of them children and nomadic shepherds, who stumble upon the devices during daily routines.
Despite ongoing demining efforts led by international and Afghan agencies, large swaths of rural terrain remain hazardous, especially in provinces like Paktia, where mine clearance operations are limited by funding and access.
