KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations has renewed calls for the protection of civilians and respect for international law following airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan that killed at least 10 people, most of them children.
The strikes hit the provinces of Khost, Paktika, and Kunar around midnight on Tuesday. The Taliban claimed that Pakistani fighter jets carried out the attacks on civilian homes, reporting that nine children and one woman were killed in Gurbuz district of Khost, with four others injured in Kunar and Paktika.
In a post on X, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed the strikes killed at least 10 people and injured six, most of them children, in Khost and Kunar. “UNAMA again calls for respect for international law to protect civilians and prevent civilian harm,” the mission said.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, echoed the call for civilian protection and urged Pakistan and the Taliban to cease violence and return to the negotiating table. “Both parties should return to the negotiating table and cease using violence to address problems. Including some women might help,” Mr. Bennett said.
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, condemned the strikes as a “violation of Afghanistan’s airspace by Pakistani forces” and “a direct assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” warning of “timely retaliation.” Pakistan’s military denied conducting airstrikes, saying it does not carry out undeclared operations and does not target civilians.
The incident comes amid heightened tension between Pakistan and the Taliban over the past two months. In October, border clashes left about 37 people dead and more than 400 injured. Pakistani airstrikes also targeted parts of Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar before a ceasefire was mediated by Qatar and Turkey.
Two rounds of talks in Istanbul earlier this month ended without progress, with disagreements largely over the Taliban’s handling of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that has intensified attacks inside Pakistan in recent years. The ongoing standoff has kept all major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan closed, disrupting trade and travel.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have recently expressed willingness to mediate between Islamabad and the Taliban as tensions continue to escalate, but no concrete agreements have yet emerged.
