In the south of Afghanistan, Helmand Province was once at the centre of heavy fighting between the Taliban and NATO and the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces. Until 2021, NATO and the ANA tried to expel the Taliban from their heartland, but the latter fought back fiercely. Today, the war has ended, but the danger has not disappeared.
Across Helmand, landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosive items remain hidden in the ground. According to the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database, Helmand is still the most contaminated province in Afghanistan, particularly with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and IEDs.
These dangers continue to kill and injure civilians who are farming, travelling or rebuilding their lives in their former home communities. Since August 2021, at least 111 people have been killed and 199 injured in more than 130 accidents with explosive ordnance in Helmand, making it one of the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan according to the IMSMA database.
In Adam Khan village, Gereshk district, Shah Mahmood Akhlaqi is rebuilding his life after years of displacement. When the fighting intensified in 2009, Shah Mahmood and his family were forced to leave their home. They spent a year living under tents in Gereshk city, struggling to survive.
"We spent one year under hot temperatures in the centre of Gereshk to survive the war"
Shah Mahmood was struggling to find income and support his 17-member family. When the family returned home in 2021, they found their house and farmland impacted by the war. "We felt scared when we returned to our village. Our houses were damaged and our agricultural land was destroyed", he says.
Adam Khan village is located on a strategic transport route towards the centre of Gereshk district along the Helmand River. Between 2009 and 2012, intense fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces left agricultural land and routes around the village littered with munitions from the fighting and IEDs buried in the ground.
The threat to the community further increased when displaced families returned to their homes after 2021, looking for new land to rebuild their houses and to use for farming. It perpetuated the mental burden of the war and its legacy, even after the fighting had stopped.
The danger soon had a devastating impact. In Adam Khan village, one person was killed and four others, including three women, were injured when their vehicle hit a roadside IED. The community alerted the local authorities of the contamination and the danger to human lives.
To reduce the threat and help families return safely, HALO began clearing the area in March 2025 with funding from European Union humanitarian aid. The teams focused on land close to homes and farmland, where the risk to civilians was highest.
By March 2026, HALO had cleared more than 88,000 sq metres of land in Adam Khan village and safely destroyed 11 IEDs in the process. Each removed device means one less threat to people's lives.
As HALO has safely released the highest priority area to the villagers, farmers are using their land again and children are walking and playing freely outside without fear.
"We will feel happy when HALO finishes clearing our land", says Shah Mahmood. "Our income will increase, and children will be able to play safely."
HALO has been working in Helmand since 2018 to remove the unpredictable and often fatal threat of IEDs. Since then, teams have released more than 6.5 sq km of land and destroyed over 2,700 IEDs in the province, helping more than 153,000 people to live safely. But the work is not finished – around 10 sq km of land in Helmand is still contaminated with IEDs that continue to threaten lives.
With the support of the European Union and other donors, HALO will continue to clear dangerous land to save lives and help families rebuild their futures peacefully.
