KABUL, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of villages and hamlets in Afghanistan have been turned into ghost towns, as landmines and explosive devices continue to claim the lives of civilians in one of the world's most heavily mined countries.

Some of the hidden enemies are the remnants of unexploded ordnance left over during the past four decades of prolonged wars. The lethal weapons are still deployed today and indiscriminately claim the lives of people, most of whom are civilians including children.

Kandahar province, in Afghanistan's southern zone, has reportedly been blanketed with vast numbers of anti-infantry mines and explosive ordnance, according to one victim, who lost one of his legs to a roadside mine.

"I was only 12 when I was hit by a roadside mine in my native village. The road was asphalted at that time ... The device looked like a sugar pot hidden underground," Abdul Rauf, 43, told Xinhua.

Farmers working on their farmlands are the main victims of the hidden enemies in Kandahar province, where Abdul Rauf's ancestors have long been working as gardeners.

Rauf has had a hard time, since his right leg was amputated in hospital after doctors decided that removing the limb was the only solution.

The victim, who is now working for the Kandahar municipality, is not only the bread winner for his seven-member family, but also has six nephews also needing his financial support.

"I am now an official of the provincial municipality and have to support a 13-member household, including my seven children as well as six nephews whose father died of a critical illness," said Rauf, who earns around 10,000 afghani (about 140 U.S. dollars) each month.

Up to 48 civilians have lost their lives in landmines explosion and 98 others wounded since 2018 in the southern Kandahar province.

Across the southern region, the total number of casualties is estimated at 123 and the number of wounded at around 330 people, Amanullah Bina, an official with the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination (DMAC), a mine clearing agency, told Xinhua recently.

In 2018, some 3,428 landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were detected and defused in Arghandab, Arghistan, Daman, Ghurak, Khakriz, Maiwand, Nish, Panjwayee, Shawalikot, Spin Boldak and Zhari districts of the restive Kandahar province, according to the official.

The official added that 283 square km have been cleared of landmines and explosive ordinances, while 386 square km have yet to be cleared.

According to Bina, seven de-mining agencies comprising 350 personnel are involved in the mine clearance program in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban, while throughout the southern region, 520 de-mining specialists are busy with mine clearing operations.

Zamaryalai, the Halo Trust de-mining supervisor, said up to 112 square miles have been surveyed, in which 52 square miles have been cleared of landmines and unexploded devices in Zhari and Hawz-e-Madad areas of militancy-plagued Kandahar.

However, roadside bombs and landmines used by warring sides in Afghanistan are still killing and maiming civilians including children in the country's eastern provinces.

A week ago, at least seven children were killed and eight others wounded, when an artillery shell, left over from the past war, was found by the children and exploded in the eastern Laghman province.

On April 19, six civilians lost their lives in a roadside bombing in Laghman's Qarghai district. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

According to a UN investigative report, up to 170 civilians are being killed by mines each month, a sharp increase in the past five years in Afghanistan.

"At one point, we were optimistic that the number of victims in Afghanistan was below a hundred a year, but now we are at 170 a month," Agnes Marcaillou, director of the UN Mine Action Service, told a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

Marcaillou's remarks were made on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action earlier this month. Enditem

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