The U.S. State Department has warned players of Pokémon Go in Southeast Asia to be careful, in case they step on land mines and blow themselves up.
A tweet Tuesday, from the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the State Department subdivision that coordinates with the Pentagon, read: “Playing #PokemonGo in #Cambodia #Laos #Vietnam? Beware of #landmines or anything that looks like an old bomb!”
The tweet used the hashtag #UXO — short for “unexploded ordnance,” a blanket term for various explosives that were utilized but never detonated. Attached to the tweet was a screenshot from Pokémon Go: a Pidgey in the foreground and an individual sweeping for mines behind it.
It is unclear why this tweet happened. It is also somewhat ironic: many of the unexploded ordnances in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are there because of the U.S. forces that conducted war in the region half a century ago.
- Taylor Swift Is TIME's 2023 Person of the Year
- Meet the Nation Builders
- Why Cell Phone Reception Is Getting Worse
- Column: It's Time to Scrap the Abraham Accords
- Israeli Family Celebrates Release of Hostage Grandmother
- In a New Movie, Beyoncé Finds Freedom
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
