Three children were killed in a mortar shell explosion in the northern Samangan province of Afghanistan on July 17, 2023.
The incident occurred in the village of Jangal in the Dara-e-Suf Payin district, and also left two other children injured.
Local sources reported that the children, all under the age of 10, were playing with the mortar shell when it exploded. The explosion killed two boys and a girl. The injured children, both boys, are currently receiving medical treatment.
Shamsullah Shamsad, the Taliban district governor for the Dara-e-Sof Payin, told the Bakhtar News Agency that the explosion took place early yesterday morning when the children were attempting to transport the shell when it detonated.
Afghanistan has long been plagued by the widespread presence of unexploded mines and other remnants of war, resulting in numerous civilian fatalities.
A recent report from the International Committee of the Red Cross highlighted the severity of this situation. Between January 2022 and June 2023, a staggering number of at least 640 children in Afghanistan were killed or injured by mines and explosives left behind from the war.
