2 days ago
Over 6 million Afghans live amid explosive risk: HALO Trust
FILE PHOTO: FBI-created replica of improvised explosive device components recovered in Afghanistan in 2005. Every month, around 50 Afghans are killed or injured by explosive devices, and over 80 per cent of them are children. - AFP
KABUL: Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily landmine-contaminated countries in the world, with 6.4 million people still at risk from explosive remnants of war, according to a report released by the HALO Trust on Tuesday (June 10).
The organisation warned that the country faces the danger of becoming "a forgotten humanitarian problem," calling on the international community to sustain support for demining efforts amid growing concerns over declining global attention.
Every month, around 50 Afghans are killed or injured by explosive devices, and over 80 per cent of them are children, "often sent by desperate families to scavenge scrap metal in a bid to ease their economic hardship," the organisation posted on its social media account. - Xinhua