The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says 25 pieces of unexploded ordnance were discovered beneath a house in Afghanistan’s Baghlan Province and were safely removed and destroyed.
In a report published on Tuesday, July 14, the UNDP said the discovery was made during the renovation of part of a house in Ghulam Bay village in Baghlan Province.
According to the report, a rapid mine action response team was deployed to the site and, after conducting a technical assessment, found 25 buried 122mm artillery shells left underground from past conflicts.
The UNDP said the explosives were safely transported to a designated location and destroyed. As a result of the operation, the lives of eight construction workers and 16 members of a family were protected from a potentially fatal incident.
The agency said the unexploded ordnance is believed to date back to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the 1980s.
The UNDP emphasized that explosive remnants of war continue to pose a serious threat to civilians across Afghanistan, particularly when people are rebuilding homes, farming, or excavating land for infrastructure projects.
