KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has recorded 234 incidents involving explosive ordnance in Afghanistan in 2024, resulting in at least 455 fatalities or injuries, 359 of whom were children.
In a report on Tuesday, December 31, the ICRC emphasized that Afghanistan remains one of the country’s most vulnerable to explosive hazards, posing significant risks to Afghan communities, particularly children.
“The plight of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and people with disabilities, is especially concerning,” said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Afghanistan, emphasizing that the situation demands sustained international attention and long-term support.
According to the report, the ICRC, in partnership with the ARCS, conducted several risk awareness and safer behavior sessions across the country in 2024, reaching over 240,000 people, primarily women and children.
After enduring decades of conflict and violence, particularly the Taliban insurgency over the past twenty years, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most heavily contaminated regions with remnants of war, including landmines and unexploded ordnance.
According to the HALO Trust, an international demining organization, more than 65 square kilometers of land in Afghanistan are contaminated by landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
Explosive remnants of war kill or injure hundreds of people every year across Afghanistan. Children are especially vulnerable to fatal or life-altering injuries, as they often unknowingly step on landmines or pick up unexploded ordnance scattered around the areas where they live or play.
A report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that between January 2022 and February 2024, at least 1,401 people, predominantly children, were killed or injured by explosive remnants of war in Afghanistan.
“Almost 4 million people are exposed to the constant risk of being harmed, with an estimated 1.2 million m2 of land contaminated by mines, improvised explosive devices and ERW,” the UN agency said.
