Kabul [Afghanistan]: More than 500 Afghan children were killed or severely injured in 2024 due to explosions from unexploded ordnance and remnants of war, according to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as cited by Khaama Press.
In an effort to address the crisis, UNICEF trained approximately three million children and their caregivers last year on recognizing and avoiding explosive devices. Sharing a photo on its social media account on January 5, UNICEF Afghanistan stated, “In 2024, more than 500 children were killed or gravely injured by unexploded ordnances or explosive remnants of war. UNICEF educated around 3 million children and caregivers on the risks of explosive ordnances last year, including how to identify, avoid and report them.”
The danger posed by unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remains widespread. On November 12, the HALO Trust, a demining organization, reported that over 65 square kilometers of land across 26 Afghan provinces are contaminated with explosive devices. Afghanistan is one of the four most heavily mine-contaminated countries globally.
HALO Trust operates with 2,235 demining personnel in Afghanistan, yet the scale of contamination remains overwhelming. During the previous government, the Taliban planted landmines indiscriminately on roads and farmland without proper mapping, primarily to target security forces. This has left a hazardous legacy, endangering communities, particularly children.
Demining organizations and UNICEF have emphasized the urgent need for increased international support to expand demining operations and educational campaigns. These measures are critical to preventing further casualties and protecting vulnerable populations.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan continues to grapple with a severe food crisis. Last week, the World Food Program (WFP) revealed that it could only assist seven million out of the 14 million Afghans facing hunger due to a lack of funding.
In a post on January 2, Pauline Eloff, head of WFP’s emergency department, stated, “For every two families who require food assistance, the organization can only help one.” The WFP highlighted the dire situation, particularly for families in remote areas who rely on food assistance to survive the harsh winter season.
The WFP has already pre-positioned essential food supplies in some villages but warned that without continued support, many families could face life-threatening conditions this winter. The organization has called on the international community to increase assistance for Afghanistan’s vulnerable population.
These developments underscore the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to address Afghanistan’s dual crises of landmine contamination and food insecurity.