Kabul 'safe as London or Glasgow'

"Nato's top civilian representative in Afghanistan has claimed that the war-torn country's capital is safer for children than London, Glasgow or New York.

Senior Civilian Representative for Nato in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, said despite the danger of unexploded bombs, Kabul was less dangerous than some of its counterparts in the West.

He told CBBC Newsround: "Here and in Kabul and the other big cities (in Afghanistan) actually there are very few of those bombs. The children are probably safer here than they would be in London, New York or Glasgow or many other cities."

He continued: "Most children can go about their lives in safety. It's a very family orientated society. So it is a little bit like a city of villages."

Kabul has born the brunt of the long-running war and although the security situation there has improved of late it is still deemed a dangerous place to live.

Sohrad, a 16 year old student told Newsround:

"Because of explosions happening in the city it is frightening when we come to school. We are afraid of explosions in the school."

Manija an 11-year-old girl, also from Kabul, said:

"When there are explosions I get sad because people are dying but the next day when they are living a normal life and celebrating I get happy."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said Mr Sedwill was "wrong" to include Glasgow in his comments. He said: "Of course we can understand that it's very important to reassure children in Afghanistan about their safety but I think Mr Sedwill has got it wrong here. This comparison will simply lead people in Glasgow, London and New York to pull out the statistics showing how very wrong he is and his, very important, the message to the people of Afghanistan will be lost."

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said: "It is wrong and misleading to say that children in Kabul are safer than those living in Glasgow, London or New York. Afghanistan is the worst place on earth to be born a child - one in four children living there will die before they reach the age of five.

"We should be listening to what children in Afghanistan are saying. Last year was the deadliest for children since late 2001, with more than a thousand killed because of the conflict. But it's not just about the bombs. A staggering 850 children die every day, many from easily preventable diseases such as diarrhoea or pneumonia, or because they are malnourished.""