GLOBALink | U.S.-left unexploded ordnance still claiming lives of Afghans

FARAH ROD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The last soldier of the U.S.-led forces left Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of military occupation, but the unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the U.S. troops has been claiming the lives of Afghans for years or even decades.

Khudai Rahim, a 54-year-old resident of Rigretion village in Farah Province of Afghanistan, has lost two sons in blasts of unexploded ordnance in 2021, and his third son was severely injured in a mine blast in 2022 just around their village.

Rahim had spent 375,000 afghanis (about 4,500 U.S. dollars) for his son's medical treatment.

His sons are not the only victims of those unexploded ordnance left by the U.S. forces in the village.

According to a report from the "Costs of War" project under Brown University, Afghan land is contaminated with unexploded ordnances, which killed and injured tens of thousands of Afghans, especially children.

The International Committee of the Red Cross noted in its report that 640 children were killed or injured in 541 incidents involving landmine explosions and explosive remnants in Afghanistan between January 2022 and June 2023.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service