KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reacting to the targeting of civilians during the conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan, says that civilians should never bear the cost of conflict.
In a message posted on X today (Sunday, July 5), OCHA said that violence disrupts lives.
OCHA’s Afghanistan office wrote: “Hostilities destroy more than homes and infrastructure. They disrupt lives, fuel fear and take a heavy toll on mental well-being, especially for children.”
OCHA stressed that “civilians must never pay the price of conflict. They must always be protected, in line with international humanitarian law.”
One of those affected by the recent clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan in Spera district of Khost province located in southeastern Afghanistan, told OCHA: “Ever since the airstrikes, we haven’t been able to sleep peacefully. Every loud noise makes us fear it will happen again. Our children become frightened whenever they hear an aircraft overhead.”
About one month ago (June 9), at 12:20 a.m., the home of a civilian identified as “Babri” in Mena village, Spera district of Khost province, was targeted in an aerial bombardment by Pakistani warplanes. As a result, nine people were killed and ten others were injured.
Mustaghfar Garbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, said at the time that those killed included one woman, one man, and eight children between the ages of seven and ten.
The latest statement follows Pakistani airstrikes conducted on Sunday night in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar. Islamabad said those operations targeted hideouts belonging to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the allied Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group, resulting in the deaths of 25 militants. The country has also repeatedly alleged that these groups are supported by India.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also confirmed that in the latest Pakistani attacks on Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces, 28 civilians were killed and another 49 people, all of them civilians, were injured.
The latest strikes mark another escalation in strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP fighters to use Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny the allegations, insisting they will not allow any group to use Afghan territory against other countries, and say Pakistan should take responsibility for its own security shortcomings instead of blaming others.
Cross-border violence has intensified since late last year, with both sides exchanging fire and carrying out operations along the frontier. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 372 civilians were killed and 397 wounded in Pakistani airstrikes and border clashes in the first three months of 2026. UNAMA also verified 13 civilian deaths and 10 injuries from Pakistani strikes on Khost, Kunar and Paktika on June 9 and 10.
Despite mediation efforts by countries including China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the two sides have yet to reach a ceasefire agreement.
