The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced on Tuesday that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others were injured as a result of Pakistani airstrikes on border areas between the two countries.
The mission said in a statement that the victims were killed during raids targeting the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Nuristan in eastern Afghanistan on June 28, noting that “among the dead and wounded were women and children.”
She added that the number of victims is preliminary and subject to increase, as verification of the final toll continues.
UNAMA called for the protection of civilians and adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law.
In this context, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said during a press conference that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “deep concern” about the recent violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which resulted in civilian casualties.
Dujarric explained that Guterres called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and urged the parties to resolve their differences through diplomacy, stressing the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Pakistan had announced the implementation of security operations that it said were “based on intelligence information” in border areas, following armed attacks on its territory.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operations resulted in “precise targeting of locations,” killing 29 militants and wounding others.
In contrast, the Taliban government in Afghanistan announced that the strikes killed 36 civilians and injured 163 others, a toll that differs from the figures announced by the United Nations.
Pakistan is witnessing an escalation in armed attacks, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban of carrying out attacks from Afghan territory, a claim denied by the Kabul government.
In contrast, the Balochistan region is active with the “Balochistan Liberation Army” militants, who demand the region’s separation from Pakistan and the granting of autonomy to the Baloch people.
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