At the beginning of July 2015, there were 4,322 hazards with a total area of 542.6 sq km recorded in the national mine action database. During these two quarters, 277 hazards making 17.3 sq km were released and returned back to communities. However over the past six months, the nationwide MEIFCS survey resulted in the addition of 242 previously unrecorded hazards with an area of 63.7 sq km, bringing the remaining contamination to 4,287 hazards and 589 sq km of contaminated area by the quarters end.
ISAF/NATO Firing Ranges: In addition to the above, survey and clearance are required on 66 firing ranges belonging to the ISAF/NATO troop contributing nations and covering an area of 979.4 sq km. From December 2012 to December 2015, 32 such hazards covering an area of 132.2 sq km were successfully released.
Civilian Casualties: In the second and third quarters of 1394, according to the MAPA records 75 civilians were killed or injured by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), representing a significant decrease from a quarterly average of 507 mine/ERW casualties recorded in 1380 (2001).
Despite the drop off in mine/ERW casualties, the human cost of pressure‐ plate IEDs turns into a significant concern with an average of 84 casualties per month, recorded by UNAMA in the first half of 2015. According to the recent UNAMA report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 506 civilian casualties (251 killed and 255 injured) from pressure‐plate IEDs were recorded between 1 January and 30 June 2015, showing a 38 percent increase from the same period in 2014. The average mine/ERW casualties are recorded 38 per month, while the average PPIED casualties is 84 per month, that sums up to 112 civilian casualties per month; which is devastating and unfortunate.