The National Security Council’s latest meeting presided over by President Hamid Karzai demanded the international forces to clean up the mines left undetonated in the military posts previously operated by these forces in Afghanistan. Though these reports have not yet got much attention in our national media but the casualties due to these landmines have continuously been reported in the international media and according to some reports, at least 12 citizens with majority of children have so far lost their lives to these mines.

International forces had buried these mines as part of their security measures but it was both their legal and moral responsibility to remove these mines before leaving these posts. International forces also left scrap metal and other unwanted objects in these posts which tempted the poor citizens to go to the posts to obtain them and sell them in scrap. Whatever maybe the reasons, more than a dozen innocent citizens have lost their lives and the toll may increase in future.

The death of these civilians depicts the criminal ignorance of both international and Afghan forces. It was needed of the coalition forces that they should have cleaned all the mines before vacating their military posts. It was also in the duty of Afghan forces to have a thorough check of these posts after the international forces vacated them. After these proper measures had taken, the risk of any loss of life could have been averted.

However, it is still feared that more people would lose their lives or get injured and may become paralyzed for the rest of their lives. Lack of any kind of response by our government gave rise to this problem and the danger may persist until the government doesn't check the status of these points and get them cleared of all the mines. Although the National Security Council condemned this irresponsibility of coalition troops and demanded from them to clear these mines, however, the responsibility of our government doesn't end with this criticism. It is needed that government should make a special investigation committee including of experts who should visit and check the status of all these military posts and in the light of their recommendations, a special demining team should be established that should immediately start its work to detonate these mines. As an immediate action, the Ministry of Defense should issue orders to the Afghan forces to keep the citizens away from all the points where there is the possibility of any such danger.

This is not a kind of problem that should be left unnoticed for a long period of time because it may claim some more lives of our citizens. The government should immediately come into action to save the lives of common public.