Isolating the Taliban: How young landmine victims may be collateral damage

Ahmad Zia, 17, who lost his leg in a magnetic mine in a car, is seen with his uncle at the Red Cross rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

QAFAS KALAY, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A group of Afghan children were grazing sheep in fields near the village of Bolak Wandi in eastern Helmand when they spotted a metallic object half-buried in the ground. Crowding round excitedly, they argued over who had found it first and who could sell it for scrap.

The mortar shell exploded, killing one child instantly.