KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 12-year-old boy has been killed after an old piece of unexploded ordnance detonated while he was playing with it in eastern Nangarhar province, local Taliban officials said.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening, October 25, in the Gandumak area of Sherzad district, according to a statement from the Taliban governor’s media office in Nangarhar.
The boy, identified as Hemmat, was playing with an old munition when it suddenly exploded, killing him, the statement said.
The incident comes after a similar explosion in Shinwar district of Nangarhar province killed four children. The recurring incidents highlight the dangers posed by abandoned munitions and unexploded ordnance, particularly to children who may mistake them for harmless objects.
The incidents in Nangarhar also reflect a wider and persistent threat posed by explosive remnants of war across Afghanistan. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that unexploded ordnance continues to endanger Afghan communities, with children particularly vulnerable to these hazards.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also highlighted the need for greater funding to clear landmines and other remnants of war, as decades of conflict have left explosive devices in areas where civilians live and work.
In a previous incident in Ghazni province, nine children were killed by an old landmine, underscoring the devastating consequences of these hazards. Such incidents demonstrate the urgent need for continued mine-clearance operations, public awareness campaigns and child-focused safety education to prevent further deaths and injuries.
The United Nations reported on April 4, 2026, that Afghanistan had one of the world’s highest rates of casualties from explosive ordnance, with around 50 people killed or injured each month, nearly 80 percent of them children. More than 1,000 square kilometres of land across the country were known to be contaminated, placing nearly three million people, as well as hundreds of educational and healthcare facilities, within one kilometre of explosive hazards. The UN said that funding shortages remained a major obstacle to clearance efforts.
According to figures from the Afghanistan Mine Action Coordination Directorate, 467 people were killed or injured in 217 incidents involving landmines and unexploded ordnance last year. Of the total casualties, 92 people were killed and 375 injured. Children accounted for 309 casualties, representing approximately 66 percent of the total.
Mine-action organisations have repeatedly warned that unexploded ordnance can remain dangerous for years or even decades after fighting ends. Awareness campaigns, mine clearance and timely reporting of suspicious objects are essential to preventing further casualties. People are advised not to touch or move suspected explosive devices and to keep away from them while alerting local authorities or mine-action organisations.
