UN says nearly 500 Afghan civilians have been killed in Pakistan-Afghanistan fighting since October

UN says nearly 500 Afghan civilians have been killed in Pakistan-Afghanistan fighting since October 1 of 3 | Mourners attend a second mass funeral for victims of an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center earlier this month, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai, File) 2 of 3 | Residents walk through the rubble after what Taliban officials said were Pakistani airstrikes a day earlier that killed civilians, including children, in the village of Mandokhail, Chamkani district, Paktia province, Afghanistan, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Saifullah Zahir) 3 of 3 | This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo) By Elena Becatoros Updated 9:33 AM MESZ, July 28, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Pakistan-and-Afghanistan" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="172998" data-entity-type="event">Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has killed nearly 500 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded over 1,000 others between October and the end of June, the United Nations said Tuesday. In a report on the human rights situation, the Afghanistan" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="172997" data-entity-type="organization">United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it had documented 499 civilians killed and 1,216 wounded by the fighting between the neighbors that has defied international peace efforts. In one case, the report said, civilians trying to rescue others from the rubble of an airstrike were hit by a second one. The report also explores other human rights issues, including a deadly crackdown on protests in western Afghanistan over restrictions on women’s clothing, and decrees that essentially legalize child marriage. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fighting on and off for months. Tension escalated significantly in February, when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, and Islamabad declared it was in “ open war.” Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks that have killed thousands over the years in Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Taliban-Pakistan" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="124959" data-entity-type="organization">Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is allied with the Taliban" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="17996" data-entity-type="organization">Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the allegation. In the deadliest attack of the fighting, a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment center in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in March, killing hundreds of civilians. Rights group Amnesty International said last week the bombing should be investigated as a possible war crime. Pakistan has not given an overall figure for civilian casualties caused by the cross-border fighting in its territory. The U.N. mission, known by its acronym UNAMA, noted it is only mandated to monitor incidents in Afghanistan. Pakistani airstrikes kill 36 civilians in Afghanistan and wound 160, officials say 2 MIN READ Amnesty International says Pakistan strike on Kabul drug treatment center may be a war crime 3 MIN READ Pakistan says ground operation and strikes along Afghan border killed 29 militants 3 MIN READ Pakistan denies targeting civilians In a written response to UNAMA’s report, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan’s Taliban government “continues to maintain a permissive environment for a range of (militant) organizations.” The response did not mention Afghan civilian casualties but said Pakistan’s military strikes “were directed exclusively at identified terrorist hideouts, sanctuaries, and support infrastructure linked to groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.” The hundreds of civilian casualties listed by UNAMA include 22 — five of them children — who were killed in two successive airstrikes on a residential building in the eastern province of Paktia on June 28. At least 185 others were wounded. Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by the second strike, when locals were trying to rescue the victims of the first one. “International humanitarian law provides special protections for medical personnel and humanitarian workers, including first responders. Attacks against them while performing their duties are strictly prohibited,” said Fiona Frazer, director of human rights at UNAMA. UNAMA’s report also highlighted problems faced by women, who are subject to draconian restrictions by Afghanistan’s Taliban government. They include a ban on education beyond primary school, a strict dress code, bans on working in nearly all professions and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative when outside the home. The report detailed a crackdown in the western city of Herat in June, where at least 30 women were arrested on allegations of dress code violations. At least one person was killed and several others were injured when authorities opened fire during a rare protest against the detentions. Rules governing women’s clothing stipulate they can only go out in public when wearing full hijab — which includes a headscarf and robe covering the entire body — as well as a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. The regulations are policed by the feared Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. However, interpretations of the rules and what constitutes wearing the hijab correctly vary and can be arbitrarily enforced. The UNAMA report said Vice and Virtue officials visited health clinics and shops in various parts of the country to advise them to refuse entry to women not accompanied by a male relative. The report also said new rules on separation in marriage “ implicitly sanction child marriage " by allowing for marriage contracts to be arranged for minors. Elena Becatoros Becatoros oversees coverage of southeast Europe for The Associated Press, with frequent assignments to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Based in Athens, Greece, she has worked around the world, including covering war in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. twitter instagram mailto