UN reports over 370 Afghan deaths in Pakistan conflict from January to March

UN Reports High Number of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a report detailing the number of civilian casualties resulting from cross-border violence between Taliban forces and Pakistani military personnel in the first three months of 2026. According to the report, at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 injured as a result of these clashes.

The majority of deaths, accounting for more than half, were attributed to air raids on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul. The report was based on checks with three independent sources and included 13 women, 46 children (31 boys and 16 girls), and 313 men among the casualties.

The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan has escalated significantly since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with clashes escalating into “open war” at the end of February. The Pakistani defense minister described this as a significant escalation. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering armed fighters, while Afghan officials deny this and claim that Pakistan harbors hostile groups.

The UNAMA report called on both parties to respect international law by refraining from targeting health facilities or firing shells into civilian areas. In response, Pakistan stated that its actions were directed solely against terrorist and military infrastructure.

The report also noted that the leading cause of civilian casualties was air strikes, accounting for 64 percent of the total. One targeted killing of an NGO worker was also reported, as well as a female Afghan employee who was killed during the festival of Eid al-Fitr in March.

Source: Al Jazeera