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The security situation in Afghanistan is highly unstable. Protracted armed conflict with non-state armed groups and foreign entities has caused large population displacement, economic precarity and frequent surges of armed violence.[1] As of 2022, reports state that human rights violations persist in the country.[2] Due to this insecurity, Afghanistan has high levels of weapons and ammunition trafficking.[3] There are also important risks linked to unexploded ordnance left in the country.[4]

The HALO Trust is on the ground to help with the through-life management of ammunition. Efforts have included building and rehabilitating Ammunition Storage Areas, destroying excess ammunition, deploying Conventional Weapons Destruction teams during emergency callouts, and completing Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) projects to secure ammunition in Mazar-iSharif.[5]


[1] “Afghanistan.” Crisis Group. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan.

[2] “World Report 2022: Afghanistan Events of 2021.” Human Rights Watch. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/afghanistan.

[3] LL.M, Tanya Mehra, Méryl Demuynck, and Matthew Wentworth. “Weapons in Afghanistan: The Taliban's Spoils of War.” ICCT, February 7, 2022. https://icct.nl/publication/taliban-spoils-of-war/.

[4] “Afghanistan.” UNMAS. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.unmas.org/en/programmes/afghanistan.

[5] See A-MAP Database.

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Map of Afghanistan

Further information

Accidental explosions

Since the beginning of data collection in 1979 by the Small Arms Survey, numerous accidental explosions were reported in Afghanistan (Table 1).

Table. 1 Accidental explosions in Afghanistan (1979-2021)

Year

Location

Owner/manager

Deaths

Injuries

2015

Kandahar

State (police)

2

21

2013

Kabul

State (military)

0

0

2009

Jalalabad

State (military)

1

20

2009

Behsud

Foreign (intervention)

4

17

2006

Jabal-os-Saraj

State (military)

2

60

2005

Bajgah

Non-state (actor)

30

70

2005

Rustaq

N/A

7

16

2004

Ghazni

N/A

7

3

2004

Herat

N/A

5

34

2004

Bagrami

State (military)

0

0

2003

Tokhichi

State (military)

1

3

2003

Aqcha

Non-state (actor)

25

9

2003

Bagram

Non-state (actor)

6

10

2003

Mehtar Lam

Non-state (actor)

9

0

2002

Kandahar

Foreign (intervention)

0

0

2002

Spin Boldak

Non-state (actor)

32

70

2002

Spin Boldak

N/A

N/A

2

2002

Spin Boldak

N/A

0

2

2002

Jalalabad

Non-state (company)

26

90

2001

Darulaman

Non-state (actor)

0

3

2000

Kabul

Non-state (actor)

0

0

1999

Kabul

Non-state (actor)

0

0

1999

Kabul

Non-state (actor)

1

8

1999

Mazār-e Sharīf

Non-state (actor)

7

47

1997

Jalalabad

Non-state (actor)

30

128

1996

Kabul

State (other)

60

125

1996

Kabul

Non-state (actor)

1

8

1991

Kabul

State (military)

N/A

N/A

1986

Kabul

State (military)

0

0

Source: Small Arms Survey. n.d. Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS). Database.

Cases of diversion

Insufficient information on cases of diversion in Afghanistan.

Disposal

Destruction, use, or export of ammunition as an indicator of a state’s ability to identify and decrease aging, unsafe, or surplus ammunition.  

Insufficient information on the disposal of ammunition in Afghanistan.

Needs

Further requirements for an effective through-life management of ammunition in the country.

No needs have been reported for Afghanistan.[1]


[1] PoA Report 2018, Afghanistan. Please note that PoA reports focus on SALW and not specifically on ammunition. https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/AFG-English-850-SUBMITTED.pdf.

Published Date: Wednesday 31 of August 2022