Afghan amputees reflect more powerful bombs

At an orthopaedic centre in Kabul, the impact of Afghanistan's decade-long war is clearly visible.

This free of charge Red Cross centre is one of the largest in the world -- 6,000 new patients are treated here every year.

Of those, 1,000 are direct victims of war -- many severely wounded by bombs which are becoming ever more powerful.

One of those patients is 20-year-old Abdul Ahmat, who came to the Afghan capital in search of work.

The former construction worker lost both his legs after a suicide bomb attack that killed 13 foreign troops and four Afghans in October.

(SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN AMPUTEE, ABDUL AHMAT:

"I was living in Kabul six months ago and one day as I was on my way to work a suicide bombing happened where I lost both my legs. It has made my life much harder."

The patients, many of whom have had limbs amputated, are young and old, male and female.

Experts say the bombs have changed over the course of the war, evolving from crudely-put-together-cheap-explosives to more sophisticated devices.

One doctor who started working in Kabul in 1990, says the severity of wounds has increased along with the power of the bombs.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBERTO CAIRO, ITALIAN PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN CHARGE OF ORTHOPAADIC CENTRES:

"In the past we used to have some people with double amputations, and now we see quite many. And most of them are due to these IEDS. It's really devastating what they can do, the power of this device is terrible."

Almost all of the Kabul centre's 323 staff are themselves disabled from war or disease -- something the Red Cross says helps patient morale.

The centre also has an on-site factory, where disabled workers turn out custom-made artificial legs and arms from individual moulds.

Simon Hanna, Reuters.