Taliban security officials in Badghis province say two children have been killed after a cluster bomb left over from past conflicts detonated in Bala Murghab district.
Sediqullah Seddiqi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s police command in Badghis, stated that the children found an unexploded device while grazing livestock in the Panirak area. They reportedly threw the device into a fire, triggering the explosion.
According to Seddiqi, both children died at the scene. The incident occurred on Sunday morning (November 9). Similar incidents in the past have repeatedly claimed the lives of children.
Decades of conflict have left large parts of Afghanistan contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. According to Taliban figures, roughly 1,150 square kilometers of land across the country remain polluted with mines and explosive remnants of war.
The United Nations has also reported that about 3.3 million people in Afghanistan live within one kilometer of contaminated areas.
Landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to pose a serious threat to civilians, especially children.
