Almost 140 civilians are affected by mines and unexploded ordnance every month, with at least 30 percent of them being killed, said the head of the Mine Action Coordination Center, Mohammad Shafiq Yusufi on Tuesday.

According to him, 400 square kilometers has been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance since 2001.

“From 140 incidents which occur every month, 60 percent are related to mines which came after 2001. This means that this problem is still high; only nine to 10 percent of them are related to anti-personnel mines which have remained from the past,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rasul, 34, who lost both his legs in a mine explosion, said he was a teacher in Pul-e-Alam, the capital city of Logar province before the incident.

He said he has seven children, all under 15 years of age and he is the only bread winner in his family.

“I have been paralyzed and I don’t know what will be my fate,” Rasul said.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission’s spokesman Bilal Sediqqi meanwhile said civilians are the main victims of mines and that mine planters are criminals.

“Those who misuse mines and cause civilian casualties in Afghanistan should be treated seriously and should be chased legally. These incidents must be documented,” Sediqi said.