UN Reports Civilian Casualties from Airstrikes in Pakistan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported on Monday that airstrikes in Pakistan over the weekend resulted in the deaths of at least 28 Afghan civilians, with another 49 injured.

The Taliban government claimed that 38 civilians lost their lives in the strikes, while Pakistan asserted it had killed 29 militants during the operation.

Pakistan’s Information Minister, Mataullah Tara, stated that the airstrikes targeted a significant cache of weapons and ammunition held by militants near the border. He claimed they were precisely aimed at “terrorist camps and safe havens.”

According to the Taliban, many civilian casualties occurred when Pakistani warplanes bombed homes in Paktia province. Tragically, while volunteers were helping survivors from an initial strike, a second one hit the same area, escalating the number of casualties.

A local resident recounted, “Everyone was asleep when the planes arrived and started attacking this house. There were children, women, men, and elderly people inside the house.” Another resident expressed deep sorrow, saying, “Words could not describe the condition of the children I saw in the hospital and the cries of their parents and siblings.”

Pakistan stated that its three heavy airstrikes targeted members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group aiming to overthrow Pakistan’s secular government and establish an Islamic “caliphate” similar to that of the Afghan Taliban.

The TTP has been engaged in a long-term insurgency against the Pakistani government, particularly in the volatile Afghan border region. After the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Afghan Taliban militants were reported to be sheltering on the Pakistani side of the border, making matters more complicated.

Following this withdrawal, Pakistani commanders expressed concern about American equipment left behind falling into the hands of terrorists. Additionally, there has been rising tension between Pakistan and the Taliban, especially since Pakistan began deporting large numbers of Afghan migrants in 2023, viewing them as a security risk. This led to airstrikes against TTP positions within Afghanistan, which the Taliban condemned as a violation of their territorial integrity.

The conflict has escalated, with an increase in skirmishes, airstrikes, and cross-border shelling over the past several months. The Taliban often assert that civilian casualties in these attacks are mostly innocent, while Pakistan claims they primarily comprise TTP fighters and their supporters. The Kabul government maintains that the TTP insurgency is strictly a matter of Pakistan’s internal security.

In addition to the airstrikes, Pakistani forces reported killing four TTP militants in ground combat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

These militants were part of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a TTP splinter group linked to the Islamic State. This group claimed responsibility for a recent attack on the paramilitary Sindh Rangers, which Pakistan’s information minister referenced as justification for the airstrikes.

Pakistan has emphasized its commitment to maintaining regional stability while insisting on prioritizing its own security. The Taliban’s foreign ministry summoned Pakistan’s envoy on Monday, issuing a formal complaint against the actions of “Pakistan’s invading military regime” and labeling the airstrikes a “crime against humanity.”

Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat declared, “We condemn in the strongest terms this invasion and dastardly act and consider it a crime and an act of barbarism.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing hostilities, calling for an immediate halt to actions that harm civilians and emphasizing the need for their protection. A UNAMA report noted that the attacks have also resulted in the displacement of civilians.