After a series of blasts in Pakistan that killed and injured children, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed serious concern over the fatalities and said no child should fall victim to the explosive remnants of war.
In a statement on Sunday, it said: "UNICEF is deeply concerned by the death of three children, age 10 to 16, who were reported killed in the detonation of a landmine in South Waziristan, one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Merged Districts (KPMD) along the Afghan border, on Tuesday."
"Another two children were seriously injured in the blast which took place in the village of Tungi Badinzai in Ladha Union Council," the statement further read.
The statement came after June 1, three children were killed and two were seriously injured in a landmine blast in South Waziristan. Before that, a boy was critically injured in a similar explosion on May 28 and a girl lost her limbs in a landmine blast on May 30.
Three teenage boys died and two others suffered injuries in a hand-grenade explosion that occurred near a seminary in the Kharotabad area on Thursday.
The officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said the boys were playing with the hand-grenade when it exploded, reported Dawn.
"We offer our heartfelt sympathy to the families affected by these horrific incidents and share hopes for the recovery of the children who survived," said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.
The UNICEF further said it will continue to support the Government of Pakistan in mine risk education to raise awareness on the risks posed by landmines and explosives among children and families living in crisis-affected areas.
"Children are particularly at risk from unexploded ordnance and landmines, which are small enough to pick up or kick around, and which they can mistake for toys or objects of value. They account for over half of those killed or injured by landmines and other explosive remnants of war globally," read the statement.
During a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly last week, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's (JUI-F) lawmaker from South Waziristan Hafiz Hassamuddin said that at least 300 children had so far fallen victim to landmines in South Waziristan district.
( With inputs from ANI )
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