KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least 6.4 million people in Afghanistan are at risk from landmines and other explosive remnants of war, according to The HALO Trust, an international demining organization.
In its report released Tuesday, the organization warned that Afghanistan remains one of the most landmine-contaminated countries in the world – surpassed only by Ukraine.
The organization said about 50 people are killed or injured by explosive devices in Afghanistan each month. More than 80% of the victims are children.
The report shows that explosives contamination impacts approximately 20% of the population, including 100,000s of Afghan refugees forcibly returned from Pakistan and Iran in recent months.
The organization urged international donors to maintain support for mine clearance, expressing concern that the issue could become a “forgotten humanitarian problem.”
Since beginning its work in Afghanistan in 1988, the HALO Trust says it has cleared over 800,000 landmines and 11 million unexploded items. It estimates that one in every five Afghans has benefited from demining efforts.
However, declining donor funding has forced the organization to cut its workforce from 2,200 to 1,000, with further cuts anticipated if support does not increase.
“The Afghan people have struggled for over four decades of conflict, displacement, poverty,” said Dr Farid Homayoun, HALO’s Programme Manager in Afghanistan. “We need the international community to continue to support people to the end of this journey and not leave them stranded halfway through.”
Landmines and explosive remnants of war are the legacy of decades of conflict, including the Soviet invasion, civil war, and the recent Taliban insurgency.
The UN reports that two-thirds of Afghanistan’s 400 districts are affected by explosive hazards, with around 3.3 million people living within one kilometer of deadly devices. Children are particularly vulnerable, often encountering these devices while playing.
Between January 2022 and February 2024, at least 1,401 people were killed or injured by explosive remnants in Afghanistan, 86% of them children, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
For 2025, the UN is seeking $21.9 million mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and risk education in Afghanistan, but funding remains uncertain amidst global humanitarian aid cuts.
