SANAA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Three children have been killed in two separate incidents of landmine explosions in Yemen's northeastern province of Al-Jawf, the state-owned Yemen TV reported on Friday.
The incidents occurred Thursday afternoon in the Khub Washaaf district, in the northeastern part of the province, with one roadside landmine killing a girl and injuring her mother when their car went over it on a dusty road.
In the second explosion, two child shepherds were killed when they stepped on a landmine while herding sheep. Three of their companions were also wounded in the explosion.
The district has recently seen an increasing number of similar explosions. On Wednesday, two children were killed and their mother injured by a warhead remnant explosion in their house. The children found it while playing outdoors and brought it home.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance left after battles have been the biggest killers of children in Yemen since local families moved to previously inaccessible areas following decreased hostilities between the warring parties, said Save the Children, a humanitarian organization for children, in June 2022.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia took control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government out of the capital Sanaa.
In April, the Yemeni government made an urgent appeal for international assistance to clear landmines and other explosive remnants of war. ■
