KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said Thursday it had documented the deaths of 13 civilians, mainly children and women, from Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan the previous day, confirming the death toll given by Afghan authorities.
Pakistan had dismissed as propaganda a statement by Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Wednesday that the airstrikes in the provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika
had killed 13 civilians — 11 children, one woman and one man.
The strikes shattered a month of calm following what Islamabad previously described as “open war” between the neighbors. The conflict has so far defied international efforts to bring a lasting peace.
The UN mission in Afghanistan, known by its acronym UNAMA, said in a post on X that it had “documented 13 civilian deaths and 10 injuries, mainly children and women, from airstrikes” overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.
“UNAMA reiterates its call for de-escalation, a durable ceasefire, protection of civilians, reopening of border crossings particularly for humanitarian assistance, and dialogue to resolve differences,” it said. The border has been closed for months, disrupting trade and transportation and stranding thousands of people.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since February, when Afghanistan attacked Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Several rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have failed to produce a lasting truce.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021, after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.
Pakistan said it carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan on Wednesday to target militant camps and hideouts.
At a weekly news conference in Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday that the strikes were conducted in response to multiple recent militant attacks inside the country.
“We carried out these strikes to target safe havens, masterminds and planners belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij,” Andrabi said, using a term the government applies to the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. “We acted on credible intelligence, and there was selective targeting of their hideouts.”
He said the safety of Pakistanis remains the government’s top priority and that operations against militants would continue. “We continue to undertake military strikes with precision and accuracy, eliminating terrorist hideouts,” he said.
Andrabi declined to comment directly on the U.N. report about the civilian casualties, saying authorities would need to review its contents. However, he questioned the U.N. methodology in documenting the casualties.
“What is their methodology for measuring that?” he said. “Our strikes were precise and targeted at the hideouts and camps of these terrorists.”
Pakistan in February declared it was in open war with Afghanistan, following a surge in militant attacks on its civilians and security forces. The fighting has concentrated mainly along the border area but Pakistan has also carried out airstrikes on the Afghan capital, Kabul.
In March, an airstrike hit a drug-treatment center in the city, with Afghan officials saying more than 400 people were killed. Pakistan disputed the toll and denied targeting civilians, saying it had targeted an ammunition depot.
Wednesday’s strikes come months after China hosted peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Beijing later said they had agreed not to escalate their conflict and to explore a solution.
Authorities in Pakistan have said China and some other friendly countries were still encouraging both sides to reach an agreement for durable peace.
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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
