UNICEF called for an immediate end to violent violence against children in Afghanistan

The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern over the deaths of 17 children in Afghanistan over the past two days and called for an end to violence against children in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Ag Iwia, head of the United Nations Children’s Fund in Afghanistan, tweeted that 16 children had been killed in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif and one in Uruzgan in the past two days.

He continued to tweet his condolences to the families of the children killed, adding that children should never pay the price for older conflicts.

UNICEF has previously expressed concern about the increase in child casualties from the explosion of unexploded ordnance left over from the war in Afghanistan.

Expressing concern over the further escalation of such incidents in the future, it called on everyone in Afghanistan to live up to their responsibilities to prevent casualties and to ensure that children live in safe and secure environments.