Kabul, Afghanistan — The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported a surge in civilian casualties, arbitrary detentions, and targeted killings of former officials and security personnel in the last quarter of 2025, amid ongoing border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 70 civilians have been killed and 478 others injured during the latest border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces in the final three months of 2025.
UNAMA’s human rights report, released on Sunday, February 8, attributes the majority of civilian casualties to Pakistani military actions. The report highlights that the heaviest losses occurred between 10 and 17 October, when intense fighting took place along the border regions. During that single week, 47 people were killed and 456 others injured.
The UN mission has been documenting civilian casualties from border conflicts in Afghanistan since 2011. According to UNAMA, the civilian toll from October to 31 December 2025 is significantly higher than annual figures recorded in previous years.
The clashes have predominantly affected eastern and southern provinces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. On 15 October, Pakistan carried out its first airstrike inside Kabul, which reportedly killed at least nine people and wounded 37 others, according to UNAMA.
Pakistan has stated that Pakistani militants, including members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operate from Afghan territory and organize attacks against Pakistan from there. The Pakistani military has repeatedly launched cross-border operations over the past year, claiming to target these militants. “For the past several years, Pakistan has been a target and victim of terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil. This year alone, Pakistan suffered 1,115 civilian casualties on account of terrorism originating from Afghanistan. These included 387 fatalities and injuries to 728 others,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
These operations have heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban, leading to armed confrontations in late 2025. Although some international mediation temporarily halted the fighting, Pakistani attacks have continued, and bilateral relations have not normalized. Border crossings remain closed following the clashes.
Several rounds of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan have so far yielded no concrete results. Pakistan demands written guarantees from the Taliban that Afghan soil will not be used by terrorist groups, while the Taliban insist that Afghan territory is not being used against any country.
(UNAMA) has also documented at least 520 cases of arbitrary detention and 50 cases of abuse against men and women by Taliban “Promotion of Virtue” officers during the final three months of 2025.
According to UNAMA’s human rights report, these abuses were primarily linked to enforcement of Taliban social rules, including trimming beards or hair in “Western” styles, listening to or playing music, and violations of mandatory dress codes for women.
The report also notes that on 19 November, the Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs instructed Friday prayer leaders to speak in their sermons about beard trimming as a “major sin (a serious religious offense in Islam with significant moral and spiritual consequences.)”Taliban “Promotion of Virtue” officers closely monitor men’s beards and women’s clothing and public movement. Under Taliban law, these officers hold broad powers to enforce social conduct.
Additionally, UNAMA documented the targeted killing and abuse of former Afghan security personnel. From 1 October to 31 December, at least 14 former members of the security forces were killed. The UN mission also recorded 28 cases of arbitrary detention and seven incidents of torture or ill-treatment of former officials. Some victims had recently returned from Iran and Pakistan. For example, in Parwan province’s Jabal-us-Saraj district, two individuals linked to the former government—one a former Ministry of Interior official and the other the nephew of a former security officer—were shot dead by unidentified assailants. Many former personnel had sought refuge in neighboring countries following the Taliban’s return to power, but Iran has reportedly deported some back to Afghanistan.
The combined findings underline a worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan, marked by civilian casualties from border clashes, Taliban-enforced social restrictions, and continued targeting of former officials and security forces.
