Disabled
land-mine victim in Afghanistan
According to UN
Afghanistan is one of the top three most-mined countries on the planet.
About 200,000 civilians have died and 400,000 have been disabled in mine
incidents in Afghanistan. Approximately 6,000 more will lose their lives
or limbs every year in the war battered country due to mine incidents,
says a report issued by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian
Assistance to Afghanistan-mine clearance programme (UNOCHA). Afghanistan
is infested with 10 Million anti-personnel mines ready to explode the moment
anyone stepped on them.
In Afghanistan
alone, about 20 innocent civilians including children and women, daily
fall victim to mines, half of whom loss their lives due to lack of medical
facilities. Due to the presence of mines, access has been denied to more
than 488 square kilometer of land, including agricultural fields, irrigation
canals roads and residential areas.
Over 30% mine
victims in Afghanistan are children. The legacy of that long war also included 750,000 amputees
The UN figure for the number of Landmines in Afghanistan at 10 million. There are more than 600,000 landmines to be cleared while the warring factions
are still laying more. |
Iran
seen as main supplier of land mines
to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
one of the most mine-affected
countries
Afghan
mine threat still daunting, UN group
Cluster Bomblets Litter Afghanistan
|