According to UPI, undetonated mortar shells and grenades are becoming a dilemma for the local Afghans especially children.
As UN Mince Action Coordination Center for Afghanistan, stated that around 70 people died due to mine explosions in Afghanistan and 80% of these people were children.
After the abandonment of the firing range, Afghan children have started wandering the area to collect and sell spare metal. However, with only three per cent of the area cleared of land mines complete removal can take around two to five years and a budget of $250 million.
[caption id="attachment_1121" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
$250 million will be spent on clearing out mines. Photo: Wikipedia via Creative Commons[/caption]US military official Maj. Michael Fuller however, stated that they ‘were at war’ and did not have ‘time’ to clear the mess up.
A father of a child killed in mine explosion says that his child went to the range after sometime he heard a loud boom, he ran himself. What he saw was painful site of his boy’s shattered body. ‘The left side of the body was dithered and there were no legs’ he cried.
The boy had stepped on 40 mm grenade accidentally, which had exploded taking his life, stated washington post.
Considering the gravity of the situation, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey emphasizes that for the critical ‘safety of people of Afghanistan’ it is inevitable to clear up the area.
Therefore, a US military team has been set up to survey the most intense area and ordnance-clearing mission will commence from autumn.
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