Pakistan Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill at Least 10 Civilians

The Government of Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan's Kunar and Helmand provinces on October 1, marking the third such operation in two weeks. The Ministry of Information of Pakistan described the strikes as planned and calibrated operations targeting terrorist hubs and militant hideouts, claiming 22 militants were killed and weapons were destroyed.

However, the Government of the Afghan Taliban and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported significant civilian casualties. UNAMA confirmed that at least 10 civilians, most of them children, were killed and nine others were injured. Taliban authorities specified that the strikes hit residential areas in the Chogam area of Shultan district and the Safar area of Garmsher district, destroying three homes.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attacks as foreign aggression and a violation of national sovereignty. The escalation follows long-standing accusations from Islamabad that the Taliban harbor the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a claim Kabul denies. These hostilities persist despite a fragile ceasefire mediated by China in March 2026, leading UNAMA to urge both nations to comply with international humanitarian law to protect civilians.