3 killed as unexploded device left over from past wars goes off in eastern Afghanistan
Kabul, Dec 7 (LatestNewsX) – Three workers were killed when a dormant explosive from earlier wars detonated in Nangarhar province’s Eastern Afghanistan, according to provincial police spokesman Sayed Tayeb Hamad. The blast happened in a scrap yard in Kama district on Saturday afternoon, killing everyone on site. Police are urging anyone who spots suspicious items to report them to security authorities, Xinhua reported.
A similar tragedy occurred in November, when one person died in the Rodat district of Nangarhar after a buried munition finally exploded. Afghanistan remains one of the most mine‑laden countries worldwide, with old ordnance from decades of conflict continuing to kill or maim mostly children.
On Dec 1, Belal Uruzgani, a provincial police spokesman, said three teenagers died in an Uruzgan province incident when a buried weapon detonated while they were playing with it in the Shirkhani area of Char Chino district. Xinhua added that the teens were aged 13‑18.
Separately, unknown ordnance from past conflicts killed four people, including children, and injured nine others in Kandahar in the south and Balkh in the north. On Nov 26, police in Balkh said three children died and two were injured when a device exploded after kids found and played with it in Nahri Shaahi district. The blast left three children dead on the spot and two others wounded.
In Badghis province on Nov 14, spokesman Sediqullah Sediqi reported that three children were killed instantly when a toy‑like relic from earlier wars suddenly exploded as they were playing with it.
Overall, local media have counted 137 fatalities and more than 330 injuries attributed to unexploded ordnance across Afghanistan in 2024. Of those killed, 125 were children, while 10 men and 2 women also perished. Among the injured were 264 children, 53 men, and 16 women.
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