UN Reports Heavy Civilian Casualties From Pakistani Airstrikes

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the rights organization Rawadari have documented extensive civilian casualties resulting from cross-border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. UNAMA reported that Pakistani security forces killed 57 civilians and injured 342 others between April and June 2026, with the highest losses occurring during June 28 airstrikes in Paktika, Kunar, and Paktia provinces.

Conflict escalated in February 2026 after Afghan forces raided Pakistan in response to Pakistani airstrikes, prompting the Government of Pakistan to declare it was in "open war." Rawadari reported at least 1,187 civilians martyred or wounded between December 2024 and June 2026, while UNAMA documented 499 killed and 1,216 wounded between October 2025 and June 2026. Both organizations identified a March airstrike on the Omid Drug Treatment Center in Kabul as a particularly deadly event, which Amnesty International suggests may be a war crime.

Pakistan denies targeting civilians, maintaining that its operations targeted terrorist infrastructure linked to groups like the Pakistani Taliban. The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty. Meanwhile, UNAMA noted a simultaneous crackdown by the Afghan Taliban government on women's rights, including dress code enforcement and child marriage.