Afghanistan, April 4 -- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says around 50 people are killed or injured every month in mine-related and explosive ordnance incidents across Afghanistan, warning that children continue to bear the brunt of the country's long-running contamination crisis.
In a statement issued for International Day for Mine Awareness on April 4, UNAMA said nearly 80% of the monthly casualties are children.
UNAMA said Afghanistan has the third-highest explosive ordnance casualty rate in the world, with most of the incidents linked not to newly planted devices but to unexploded ordnance and abandoned munitions left behind by decades of war. Nick Pond, head of UNAMA's Mine Action Section, said about 90% ...