[Today's Prayer] 138 People Have Died from Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance in Afghanistan This Year—65% Are Children

Since the beginning of this year, more than 130 people have died in Afghanistan due to landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Notably, a significant portion of the casualties were children.

According to Russian news outlet Sputnik and others on the 12th (local time), the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority announced that 138 people, including 90 children, have died this year due to landmines and UXO. Most recently, on the 8th, a 12-year-old child died and four others were injured when an unexploded ordnance detonated in Paktia Province, eastern Afghanistan.

Nurodin Rustamkhail, director of the Afghan Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC), told local radio Salam Watandar, “The entire country is filled with landmines and unexploded ordnance,” adding, “About 3.17 million people are exposed to danger.” The HALO Trust, an organization working to eliminate landmines, also stated on the 10th that Afghanistan is one of the countries most contaminated by unexploded ordnance.

The BBC also reported that more than 50,000 civilians have been killed or injured by explosives, including landmines, in Afghanistan since 1989. In 2021 alone—after the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the Taliban's return to power—over 1,100 casualties were recorded.

Source : News

"I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things." — Isaiah 45:5–7

We hear the heartbreaking news that 138 people have died in Afghanistan this year due to landmines and unexploded ordnance, 65% of them being children.

Though the entire country is riddled with landmines and UXO, they have not been properly removed. With the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the Taliban's return to power, casualties have only increased. Lord, have mercy on Afghanistan and bring renewal.

May the comfort and love of Jesus Christ reach the families who have lost their beloved children to these deadly explosions. Lord who receives the fragrance of our prayers, come now by Your Spirit upon Afghanistan—wipe away the tears of its people, and bring healing to their broken hearts through the service of the Church.

Lord God, even though there are still many in Afghanistan who do not yet know You, we believe You can bring peace and safety to the land. Remove every calamity and establish peace, so that Afghanistan may experience the joy of revival.

Send trained professionals to remove landmines and UXO, and raise awareness within the country to prevent children from falling victim. Provide education and protection.

May the global Church and the Church in Afghanistan lead this work, preaching the gospel and carrying the future of the nation in their hearts. May today's children grow into young people who will bring restoration to their nation and to the nations.

Through Afghanistan, may the entire Persian region be filled with life. May the truth be proclaimed to the ends of the earth: there is no God besides the Lord, and no salvation apart from Jesus Christ!

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